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Contributing Writer Memory, Objects & Elegiac Prose

Marta Vidal

Marta Vidal is a writer and archivist whose work explores what physical objects hold — letters, worn photographs, things kept against all practical reason. She has contributed to Light & Composition since 2016. A photograph for Marta is always a form of preservation, something the photographer chose to keep. Her Reflections open with a specific object and arrive, gently, at what it means when the moment has long passed.

389 Published Reflections

Reflections by Marta Vidal

Showing 12 of 389 essays
The Weight of the Table Photo of the Day
August 30, 2016

The Weight of the Table

I keep a small, tarnished silver fork in my kitchen drawer, its handle worn smooth by the grip of a grandmother I barely knew. It is heavy for its size, a dense little anchor that reminds me how we once gathered around tables not just to eat, but to anchor ourselves to one another. There […]
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The Weight of the Pause Photo of the Day
August 25, 2016

The Weight of the Pause

I keep a small, rusted iron key in my desk drawer that no longer fits any lock in my house. It is heavy for its size, cold to the touch, and carries the phantom weight of a door I can no longer name. We spend our lives in motion, turning handles and crossing thresholds, convinced […]
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The Weight of a Secret Photo of the Day
August 15, 2016

The Weight of a Secret

I keep a small, rusted tin box tucked behind my books, filled with smooth river stones I collected as a child. Each one feels like a heavy, cool promise held against the palm. When I was young, I believed these stones were anchors, keeping me tethered to the earth while the rest of the world […]
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The Weight of Stillness Photo of the Day
August 8, 2016

The Weight of Stillness

I keep a small, rusted key in a velvet-lined box, though I have long since forgotten which door it once opened. It is heavy for its size, cold against the palm, a physical anchor to a room or a trunk that no longer exists. We spend so much of our lives trying to unlock things, […]
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The Weight of a Glance Photo of the Day
August 8, 2016

The Weight of a Glance

I keep a small, tarnished silver thimble in a velvet-lined box, a relic from a grandmother I never truly knew. It is dented on one side, a mark left by years of pushing needles through heavy wool, a physical record of labor and quiet patience. When I hold it, I am struck by how much […]
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The Weight of Migration Photo of the Day
August 6, 2016

The Weight of Migration

I keep a small, rusted key in a velvet pouch, though I have long since forgotten which door it once opened. It is heavy for its size, a cold weight that reminds me of the places we leave behind and the doors we eventually find locked to us. We spend our lives moving through seasons, […]
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The Weight of a Crumb Photo of the Day
July 30, 2016

The Weight of a Crumb

I keep a small, silver tin in the back of my kitchen drawer that smells faintly of dried oregano and dust. Inside, there is nothing but a few loose crumbs from a loaf of bread baked by my grandmother decades ago. It seems foolish to hold onto something so fragile, something that would vanish if […]
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The Weight of Daily Bread Photo of the Day
July 28, 2016

The Weight of Daily Bread

I keep a small, wooden rolling pin in my kitchen drawer, its surface smoothed by decades of flour and the insistent pressure of my grandmother’s palms. It is a humble, worn thing, yet it holds the ghost of every meal she ever prepared for us. When I touch the wood, I am reminded that we […]
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The Weight of the Wind Photo of the Day
July 26, 2016

The Weight of the Wind

I keep a small, heavy iron key in a velvet pouch, though I have long since forgotten which door it once opened. It is cold to the touch, smoothed by the friction of a hand that is no longer here to guide it. We spend our lives accumulating these artifacts of existence—the keys to doors […]
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The Weight of Small Things Photo of the Day
July 22, 2016

The Weight of Small Things

I keep a small, smooth river stone on my desk, worn down by years of water and friction until it fits perfectly into the hollow of my palm. It is a quiet, heavy thing, a fragment of a landscape I haven’t visited in decades. We often think that the most significant parts of our lives […]
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The Weight of a Glance Photo of the Day
July 16, 2016

The Weight of a Glance

I keep a small, smooth river stone on my desk, worn down by years of being turned over between my thumb and forefinger. It is a heavy, quiet thing, holding the memory of a summer afternoon when time felt entirely suspended. We often think that the most important parts of our lives are the loud […]
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The Weight of Motion Photo of the Day
July 14, 2016

The Weight of Motion

I keep a small, rusted iron key in a velvet pouch, though I have long since forgotten which door it once opened. It is heavy for its size, a cold weight that anchors my palm whenever I feel untethered. There is a strange comfort in holding something that has outlived its purpose, a relic of […]
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