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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.

393 Published Reflections

Reflections by Marta Vidal

Showing 12 of 393 essays
The Geometry of Softness Photo of the Day
March 21, 2022

The Geometry of Softness

I keep a small, silver thimble in my desk drawer, worn smooth by my grandmother’s thumb until the dimples have almost vanished. It is a heavy, quiet thing that speaks of hours spent mending what was fraying, of keeping the edges of our lives from unraveling entirely. There is a profound intimacy in the small […]
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The Weight of Stillness Photo of the Day
March 9, 2022

The Weight of Stillness

I keep a small, tarnished brass key in a velvet-lined box, though I have long since forgotten which door it once opened. It is heavy for its size, cold to the touch, and carries the faint, metallic scent of a time when my house was filled with the frantic energy of youth. We spend our […]
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The Scent of Stilled Time Photo of the Day
March 3, 2022

The Scent of Stilled Time

I keep a small, dried sprig of lavender pressed between the pages of a book I rarely open. It has lost its vibrant purple hue, turning the color of dust and old parchment, yet when I brush my thumb against the brittle stem, a ghost of a scent still lingers. It is a strange, quiet […]
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The Weight of a Witness Photo of the Day
February 27, 2022

The Weight of a Witness

I keep a small, brass key in a velvet-lined box, though I have long since forgotten which door it once opened. It is heavy for its size, cold to the touch, and carries the faint, metallic scent of a time when locks were sturdy and secrets were kept behind iron. Sometimes, I turn it over […]
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The Weight of a Breath Photo of the Day
January 29, 2022

The Weight of a Breath

I keep a small, dried sprig of lavender inside the pages of a book I rarely open. It is brittle now, a ghost of a plant that once swayed in a garden I have long since left behind. When I touch it, the petals crumble into a fine, fragrant dust, reminding me that the things […]
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The Weight of a Smile Photo of the Day
January 14, 2022

The Weight of a Smile

I keep a small, silver thimble in my desk drawer that once belonged to my grandmother. It is worn smooth on one side, a testament to the thousands of times she pushed a needle through heavy wool, mending the lives of those around her. It carries no great value, yet when I hold it, I […]
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The Painted Silence Photo of the Day
December 27, 2021

The Painted Silence

I keep a small, wooden spinning top in my desk drawer, its paint chipped away by the restless hands of a grandfather I only knew through stories. It is a simple thing, yet it carries the weight of a joy that has long since stopped spinning. We often wear masks to navigate the world—sometimes they […]
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The Weight of Petals Photo of the Day
December 18, 2021

The Weight of Petals

I keep a pressed carnation inside a heavy dictionary, its edges turned to the color of dried tea. It was once vibrant and arrogant, reaching toward the sun with a stubborn, velvet strength. Now, it is brittle, a ghost of a bloom that crumbles if I breathe too heavily upon it. We are taught to […]
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The Path Through Silence Photo of the Day
November 23, 2021

The Path Through Silence

I keep a small, silver thimble in my desk drawer, worn smooth by my grandmother’s thumb over decades of mending. It is a hollow thing, yet it feels heavy with the weight of all the seams she pulled tight, all the frayed edges she refused to let unravel. There is a quiet dignity in the […]
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The Keeper of the Dark Photo of the Day
November 11, 2021

The Keeper of the Dark

I keep a small, rusted brass key in a velvet-lined box, though I have long since forgotten which door it once opened. It is heavy for its size, cold to the touch, and carries the faint, metallic scent of a house that no longer exists. There is a strange comfort in holding something that has […]
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The Weight of Echoes Photo of the Day
November 8, 2021

The Weight of Echoes

I keep a small, rusted skeleton key in a velvet-lined box, though I have long since forgotten which door it once opened. It is heavy for its size, cold to the touch, and carries the faint, metallic scent of a house that no longer exists. There is a strange, quiet ache in holding something that […]
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The Weight of Unspoken Walls Photo of the Day
October 13, 2021

The Weight of Unspoken Walls

I keep a heavy iron key in my desk drawer that no longer fits any door I own. It is cold to the touch, pitted with rust, and carries the phantom weight of a house that has long since surrendered its roof to the sky. There is a specific, hollow ache in holding something that […]
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