Field guide No. 585
Sewing lightning into velvet
Hemmed with a storm.
In a dark workshop, an old black sewing machine stitches a bolt of lightning into a length of black velvet, the seam crackling blue across the cloth. The thread comes down straight from the sky.
Field noteSewing machines need thread. This one stitches with a bolt of lightning straight into the cloth.
Also possible, also breaking material
Tide shifted basalt stonesBoulders in the shallows stretch like taffy toward second lumps of themselves, pulled out by the tide.
Bowling alley’s solid wooden waveMaple bent into a curl is a joiner’s nightmare, not a contradiction. Steam does strange things to wood.
A diner folded along a napkinDiners are built of steel, tile and vinyl. This one was built of paper, folded once and stood on its edge.
Oak leaves beneath pressed bubblesBrown oak leaves lie under clear glassy domes on a pool, displayed like a collection and loosely labelled.