Inspirational equivalents

Clouds rushing, hurried by winds to a new destination. Or perhaps they’re racing to the horizon, bouncing into each other, squashing together to become one giant cloud.

According to cloud charts, these may be altocumulus or perhaps cumulus humilis. (That sounds like a poem—cumulus humilis; there’s also cumulus medocris). Alto (in Latin) means high, cumulus means heap or heaping. Humilis, humble, and medocris, moderate.

Regardless of the awkward-sounding translation, these "humble heaps" inspire. Clouds bring to mind two artists, who were themselves linked; Georgia O’Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz.

In her later years, O’Keeffe created a series of huge paintings, titled "Sky Above Clouds". The clouds appear to be moving toward a glowing horizon.

And Stieglitz took a series of photographs of clouds which he called "Equivalents" of which he said: "I have a vision of life and I try to find equivalents for it sometimes in the form of photographs."

May we all find such inspirational equivalents.

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There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds.
– G.K. Chesterton

Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.
– Rabindranath Tagore