Mourning Swan Song
by Kathleen Modica
Title
Mourning Swan Song
Artist
Kathleen Modica
Medium
Photograph - Enhanced Photography
Description
'Mourning Swan Song' is a beautiful enhanced photograph of a black swan gracefully floating upon a backwater canal of Cooper City, Florida. I took this photograph in the year 1990 with a Fuji FinePix 4700 digital camera while visiting my parents for a long over due Chrismas holiday get together.
There is a story attached to this photo, a photo I was privileged to take not knowing its true significance which was not revealed to me until 3 years later. You see this was my mom's touchstone, her guiding spirit if you will, and their two spirits were inexplicably connected. And now I shall tell you how and why.
Three three years later when my husband and I went to Florida again, this time to attend my nieces' wedding around Thanksgiving, I found my mother in dire need of medical attention. But everytime I mentioned calling an ambulance she would reply: "No, Just as long as I can see my 'Black Swan' and have my grandchildren play at my feet I am staying home." And seeing just how ill she was I took that as a last request by honoring her wishes.
Unfortunately a few short weeks later mom died in a hospital bed surrounded my myself and 14 other family members. So, could you imaging my surprise, when on the mourning of her funeral I chanced to walk to the water's edge... And what did I see, but mom's beautiful 'Black Swan', floating dead upon the bank of the canal and wedged between the overhanging banana plant and some weeds. It was as if my mom's Swan tried to reach her by climbing onto the embankment. My mom loved that 'Black Swan' and now I would love to share it with you through this Enhanced Photograph of it because this is truly a 'Mourning Swan Song'.
Uploaded
February 17th, 2015
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