Author: Ebb Then Flood

Ebb Then Flood is a place to throw out to the wider world some images ,thoughts and ideas that would otherwise be unseen, or my "unsung songs" as it says on the tin. It is my online scrapbook really - a reaction to, and reflection on, my life and surrounds. Hopefully it gives a little inspiration to others as I continue to process those things for myself. In working on ,and posting, my pictures, I sometimes discover why I took them in the first place! Some material speaks to personal transformation ,other stuff is posted simply because it appeals to me (music ,a passion for me; the writing of others; nature and travel ,for instance) or it just looks cool IMO! Artists, writers and quotes that I share are always credited. For all else you can blame my wild imagination! I'd love to hear from any readers if you want to comment or toss ideas around. Follow me on WordPress or by email if you want to keep up with new posts. Peace, Andy L. The copyright ,2018-20, in my original writing and images,is asserted. All rights reserved. But please feel free to share links!

Private

by Ebb Then Flood

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‘Private’

A wrought iron gate cordons off a small and somewhat mysterious flight of stone stairs in the Tower of London.

The sign spells out the obvious.

It’s a classier warning sign than the one I featured in the recent post No Admittance, but  amounts to the same thing really.

The bars pictured here are signifiers of more than privacy – they emphatically spell isolation.

The Tower, in bygone times, was home to many prisoners, who I suspect had way more privacy than they would have liked…

No Admittance

by Ebb Then Flood

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‘Private Property. No admittance’, the battered sign on the fence proclaims.

It’s subtle code for:

” Not in my backyard”

” Keep the hell away”

and,

” F**k off ( pretty please)”

We can all hang that sign out from time.

I get it.

The need for self – preservation runs deep.

But as a usual modus operandi, it is a doomed stratagem.

Putting up walls, or even wire mesh perimeter fencing with forbidding signage, will give us privacy but also isolation.

Isolation, self- imposed or otherwise; loneliness – they kill as surely as war and disease.

It pays to remember, before we put out the  rusty old ‘no admittance’ sign, that potential trespassers might be bringing unexpected gifts and even total strangers may become firm friends.