In the Frame

Patrick Monaghan

Paddy always wanted to get the picture
not just what you saw,
but the meaning of what you were seeing,
He taught me how to frame a picture
not the scene you saw
but the meaning of what you were looking at
Paddy was a philosopher
among philistines who rarely saw what he did
It was his private joke
when he sold a picture
because he gave them what they wanted
but they could never see the meaning
the photographer saw
from the other side of the lens

Left to right, outside The Bailey, Phil Lynott, Paddy Monaghan, Dermott Hayes, August 1985

For my old friend Paddy Monaghan with whom I shared many adventures.