The Road Beneath Our Feet

Introduction: In Step With The Future

Dan Murano’s expressions expand our own visions. These photos wake us up as if we've been sleeping –just waiting to be shown what to see— to experience what Dan saw. The photographer captures the consciousness of a scene; and the poet speaks to its intuition, offering another dimension to sight.

These poets chose to put words to Dan Murano’s visuals, using his photos as portals we could look through— to imagine the rest. Poets move through these scenes, toward something new adding insight to this photobook. Curators might call this poetry, “ekphrastic:” to expand meaning. I like to believe these poets expose the humanness in each frame and embrace the opportunities reflected by a camera.

It’s important to say that goodwill among these contributors is the way light happens. At Toad Hall, 2019, poets were gathered at Maria van Beuren's Writers’ Retreat; and that energy was the beginning of this collaboration—and the making of a beautiful volume – pictures from the past made new for the future. Other poets were invited because we knew their talents would reset the pictures in an exciting way.

How do we move Art forward? I think it happens when one perspective is enhanced by another. We can never have too much imagination, so collaboration amplifies whatever it touches—like an extra pair of glasses.

You will see life being lived on every page. These photos are always becoming, always going somewhere. The poets took ownership of Dan’s work and found the words to describe his essence, to reboot reality. This book is a treasure, from its spiritual practice to its fierce and beautiful look at the ordinary, illuminated.

Grace Cavalieri
Maryland Poet Laureate