Photographer's lament

I have photographed the Notre Dame Cathedral at dawn
By the yellow glow of the rising sun

I have photographed St. Patrick's Cathedral in the late afternoon
Tinted by the pink of departing light

I have captured the sorrow on the face of the Virgin on the Pieta

But I cannot photograph the peal of a chapel bell
The crash of thunder
The touch of a breeze on a hot summer day
The aroma of freshly made coffee at the local diner
The warmth of chicken soup after skiing
The smell of roasting chestnuts on a Boston street corner
The first cry of an infant
The giggle of teenage girls
The voice of God


Reprinted from July 5, 2002