Perhaps it was the cool, rainy summer we had this year, but by January 1st I was already there: bored with myself, bored with my work, and bored to death with Concord. For some reason, our local icons seemed to really tip me over the edge: if I saw one more image of the Old North Bridge, I was going to start screaming. Thoreau's face made me want to break glassware. The Concord Minuteman Statue? I can't even talk about it.

The problem with icons is that even under the best of circumstances they can get worn. Overexposure makes them seem hackneyed. And then they start to become invisible, losing their meaning, emotional charge and value. Sometimes, we need a new, extreme view, so we can be shocked into seeing what has been before us all along.

So, I started to push around the pixels, playing with our most familiar faces. Nothing complicated or demanding...just a little cutting loose in PhotoShop. I found it made me feel a bit better. Making Henry green and stand on his ear was pleasant. Bronson in multiple pastel hues gave me a lift. But making Louisa into our own vibrantly colored Worhol-esque Marilyn Monroe with a Mona Lisa touch was the most fun.

Wow...the life of a community ezine publisher is pretty exciting, huh?

Anyway, why not join in the fun? Do you have an unexpected view of a Concord icon? It can be an image, poem, or story. Send us something that breaks with convention, smashes tradition, or turns the common-place on its ear. We will publish some of your entries in an upcoming Concord Magazine and two outrageous winners will each receive a small pin depicting Orchard House. Entries must be received by June 1, 2001. Email and snailmail addresses at the bottom of this page. (Please include your name, email, and phone number. We're sorry, but we cannot return your contributions.)

Original photo courtesy ArtToday.
Backgrounds by the author and ABC Giant.