Hi Mom!

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to write about my photo. The inspiration for it all was my wife! My wife, Jane, is my heater on cold winter nights, she is the love of my life, and my muse. I love warm spring days! I love how laying in the sun warms me just like my wife does in the winter. I love being out in the sun, riding my bike, hiking and taking photographs whenever I can. I feel more alive and energetic in the spring, especially after the long dark winters. Jane makes me feel the same way. I smile every time I see her and every time I think about her (I’m smiling right now) just like I do when I think about warm spring days.

The photograph was taken this past summer at Cape May. I was watching and photographing the two swans as they swam together and nuzzled each other for quite a while. Eventually they were swimming with the whole swam family. Before I looked through the photos, I was hoping one of the shots I took of the parents nuzzling would come out great and this one did! It was pure luck that their heads and neck almost made a heart and that the reflection turned out as nicely as it did! I also liked how it looked with all but the orange desaturated more than in full color. It seemed to add to the loving mood of the swans.

The photograph and the poem go together so well! They look even better than I could have imagined! Just seeing it makes me smile. This piece will be a constant reminder of the love I feel for my wife.

Thank you for having this contest and for putting the two together so beautifully. Right now the piece is in our living room, but it will eventually find a permanent home in our bedroom.

Erik

My Warm Spring Day

As I peer into your eyes,
Into the neverending glow of light,
My heart goes thump,
I become lost in your gaze.
In this trance,
I dream of warm spring days.
Red, orange and yellow sunsets
Stretching across the horizon
Setting the world ablaze.
Flowers blooming
Sending their fragrance through the skies.
Birds singing,
Their beautiful songs filling my ears.
Fields of gold, forests of green
This world must be a dream!
You gently squeeze my hand,
Suddenly, I awake!
As I look upon your eyes and smile,
I realize
You are my warm spring days.