I prepared to harden young vegetable transplants,
which is getting them accustomed to the sun gradually
over the course of several days, so that they do not burn
when ultimately put in the ground
I conceived to put them out at sunset, rather than sunrise, to take advantage of the cooler solar light of early evening
and then to dial back to noon's harsher rays, to start with an hour and to add each day a quarter-hour more
For example, set them out at 7 PM, and bring them in at 6, Day 1.
Set them out at 7 PM, and bring them in at 5:45, Day 2,
and so on, until the seedlings accustomed - inured - to 12 o'clock sun
This sounded crafty and so on Day 0 I readied to proceed until it dawned on me that I was planning to use time in reverse, contrary to its natural flow
But it had felt so possible
Like a seed, all of my futures splay before me, while my past converges on a single vanishing point behind me
I am a prism that diffracts existence to reveal its constituent parts
Through me run seemingly parallel lines
Chagall 2020
