The Photograph

This piece was written at one of our recent Heritage Festival masterclasses at The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora. We explored writing in different tenses using a heritage photograph before heading out and about and writing stories of the past, the present and the future.

To view the photograph that inspired this writing go to: http://canterburystories.nz/collections/archives/star/prints/1982/ccl-cs-3785

Now

Puddles splash across the courtyard but we stand together, gazing up at the stone palaces. The click of the camera bounces around us, the clipped lawn providing a perfect backdrop. Roman-style arches frames our love. Robert leans against me, his soft checkered jacket brushing against my hands. My freshly washed hair bobs as a gentle breeze sweeps the trees off their feet.

Then

We giggled across the street, leaping over the tram tracks, and dragging my reluctant handbag into the engulf of the cobblestoned Arts Centre. Squawking pigeons skittered out of the way as we flew towards the arches of the courtyards.

FUTURE

Once our photo has been captured, our postures and smiles will relax, and we will skip back into the hustle and bustle of the grand city that lies at our fingertips.

by Amelie Thorpe, Year 9.

Thank you to Christchurch Heritage Festival and Creative Communities Christchurch for supporting our Heritage masterclasses.

(c) Write On and Amelie