The Wheel Turns

Look down upon this wheel of light,

Look out across its stern,

Look up through pale-gold ring where bright the dreams of childhood turn,

As past, present, future spins,

In thirds our time conceived,

This season of our life,

Our worlds of make believe.

 

.

 

The wheel is a circular object that converts energy that can be harnessed. The central hole or hub houses an axle that allows the wheel to rotate. Wheeled vehicles, potter wheels, and water lifting wheels first appeared simultaneously in Western Asia close to six thousand years ago.

After the wheel was invented, it also began to be used as a metaphor to represent the steady repetitions we experience like the phases of the moon, the seasons, and life cycles.

The only material used in the still image 'The Wheel Turns' is light. Depth is conveyed by the fading forms that reach into the darkness. Movement is captured or implied. The poem suggests we view the wheel from above, behind and below. It alludes to an idea of time being a three spoke concept: the past, present, and future. The poem concludes with the words make and believe. When together 'make believe' as a verb is to pretend or imagine. As an adjective it describes a person who imitates something real.

 

An extract from the full size image follows..