Absence of

I am here to document Playland in Long Beach, Long Island before it’s torn down. Tilt-O-Whirl. Eastman Kodak Tri-X black and white photographic film is loaded into the camera. Roller Coaster. It’s less than a month since I stood at the gravesite in the rain, watched mourners toss dirt onto the casket before it was lowered. The Trains. The rides’ silhouettes leave scratch marks in the drywall December sky. The Salt & Pepper Shakers. It doesn’t matter whether I shoot in black and white or color—the darkroom result will be the same: wet spirits of boardwalk amusements. The Flying Elephants. The hardest thing about losing my mother is not knowing where she is. Caged Ferris Wheel. If I could, I’d shoot everything in black and white, once and for all, drain all the color. Chair-O-Plane. If I had one superpower it would be Invisibility. The Rocket Ships. I wonder where they put the old rides, especially the painted horses. The Whip. The location of the dead brings with it tremendous possibilities. Merry-Go-Round.