Front Porch Review
A literary magazine for the young at heart and mind

Oh, village Prophet, come to sanctify.
Tall, you walk unbent at ninety-two,
a vivid green and golden kente cloth lies
draping your left shoulder, your right one nude.
How lean and strong your form.  How full your voice
in prayers that usher forth this night in tongues
no one precisely understands, but all rejoice
as though offstage an angel choir had sung.
You hold your audience.  Their heads are bowed
in gratitude and praise for heaven’s grace.
Some close their eyes to join the winged crowd,
some peek to keep firm grasp upon this place.
Amidst a life quite hard, you proffer Love.
God gives all, but at times He needs a shove.

This paired poem/photograph is part of an illustrated “Crown of Sonnets” from the book Ghana Blessings; poems by Carol Kanter, photographs by Arnie Kanter. To purchase copies of Ghana Blessings, contact  info@dualartspress.com

By Arnie and Carol Kanter

Arnie Kanter: "I try to give the viewer of my photos much the same thing I try to give my consulting clients: a unique perspective, a different way of seeing the world.  I don't attempt to alter reality, but to present it in new and creative ways that offer the viewer, or client, new insights and possibilities. I do that in different ways, depending on the situation. Sometimes I try to accomplish it through the composition of the elements of the photo, or problem, sometimes by focusing in only on certain elements and sometimes through the use of humor.  If I succeed occasionally in changing somebody's perspective, I'm happy." His e-mail address: arnie@kanterprofessional.com

Carol Kanter: "As a pre-school child I would visit Miss Jim the elephant, feed and ride her. She was my gentle friend, larger than life and lived at the St. Louis Zoo. Going on safari was my dream trip. In part to celebrate her, in part to celebrate life – complex, fascinating, larger than itself. I write to try to unmask some small pieces of the complexities I encounter – for myself and for any who wish to come along or use what I offer as a jumping-off place for their own thinking, feeling, sensing." Her e-mail address: cnkan@cnkanter.com