Ryan Burghard

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<channel>
	<title>Ryan Burghard</title>
	<link>https://ryanburghard.com</link>
	<description>Ryan Burghard</description>
	<pubDate>Thu, 12 Nov 2020 18:06:26 +0000</pubDate>
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		<title>Main Page</title>
				
		<link>https://ryanburghard.com/Main-Page</link>

		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Aug 2019 23:27:15 +0000</pubDate>

		<dc:creator>Ryan Burghard</dc:creator>

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		<description>

	
	&#60;img width="750" height="462" width_o="750" height_o="462" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2025a207a75d38ff7b19151a6b12a52a29e04e11e2939663574a417ba600b5ba/Ryan-Burghard-Bison-1.jpg" data-mid="49485100" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/750/i/2025a207a75d38ff7b19151a6b12a52a29e04e11e2939663574a417ba600b5ba/Ryan-Burghard-Bison-1.jpg" /&#62;
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		<title>Index No. 1</title>
				
		<link>https://ryanburghard.com/Index-No-1</link>

		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Aug 2019 23:28:36 +0000</pubDate>

		<dc:creator>Ryan Burghard</dc:creator>

		<guid isPermaLink="true">https://ryanburghard.com/Index-No-1</guid>

		<description>
	
	
Index No.1&#38;nbsp;/ 2019

&#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp;&#60;img width="750" height="462" width_o="750" height_o="462" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2025a207a75d38ff7b19151a6b12a52a29e04e11e2939663574a417ba600b5ba/Ryan-Burghard-Bison-1.jpg" data-mid="49481492" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/750/i/2025a207a75d38ff7b19151a6b12a52a29e04e11e2939663574a417ba600b5ba/Ryan-Burghard-Bison-1.jpg" /&#62;
&#60;img width="750" height="462" width_o="750" height_o="462" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7314899c6dce39a03ae0dc8a1034f7157ca16ec8fd51019d126df9cda257b254/Ryan-Burghard-Bison-2.jpg" data-mid="49481491" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/750/i/7314899c6dce39a03ae0dc8a1034f7157ca16ec8fd51019d126df9cda257b254/Ryan-Burghard-Bison-2.jpg" /&#62;bronze, cement &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp;
	
	The Indexes are works that exist outside of the context of art.&#38;nbsp; There are no titles or signs that tell the public ‘this is art’ and there are no maps to indicate where these works exist. Instead, they are gestures that respond to exisiting marks within a space and a way of saying ‘I was here’. The result is a doubling effect that draws attention to an otherwise overlooked feature while at the same time indicating the past presence and present absence of a space.
	

Fig.5


	Fig. 7
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		<title>In The Black Nothing Between</title>
				
		<link>https://ryanburghard.com/In-The-Black-Nothing-Between</link>

		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Aug 2019 02:28:03 +0000</pubDate>

		<dc:creator>Ryan Burghard</dc:creator>

		<guid isPermaLink="true">https://ryanburghard.com/In-The-Black-Nothing-Between</guid>

		<description>
	
	
In The Black Nothing Between / 2018


&#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp;&#60;img width="750" height="501" width_o="750" height_o="501" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e245d078f211e78e6a767a807fe6b67956a7448d2eb1a39d54ae05ecb06ad2c7/ryanburghard_intheblack2.jpg" data-mid="49487476" border="0" data-scale="100" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/750/i/e245d078f211e78e6a767a807fe6b67956a7448d2eb1a39d54ae05ecb06ad2c7/ryanburghard_intheblack2.jpg" /&#62;

chalk, ebony wood stain, existing scratch in floor
&#60;img width="750" height="501" width_o="750" height_o="501" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/260d64f1935f62af8b861a0839363d1bf49f021861a80d57eb222a7784ef9219/ryanburghard_intheblack.jpg" data-mid="49487477" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/750/i/260d64f1935f62af8b861a0839363d1bf49f021861a80d57eb222a7784ef9219/ryanburghard_intheblack.jpg" /&#62;
	
	
 &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp;
	

	Fig. 2 

	
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		<title>Facing Silence</title>
				
		<link>https://ryanburghard.com/Facing-Silence</link>

		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Aug 2019 15:14:01 +0000</pubDate>

		<dc:creator>Ryan Burghard</dc:creator>

		<guid isPermaLink="true">https://ryanburghard.com/Facing-Silence</guid>

		<description>
	
	
Facing Silence / 2018

&#60;img width="750" height="712" width_o="750" height_o="712" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c4eb1156c0ef013443c8f959196b2a939ca7779d9145cdfc6c408771ad3c6f59/Burghard-2018-facilingsilence-web2.jpg" data-mid="49520755" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/750/i/c4eb1156c0ef013443c8f959196b2a939ca7779d9145cdfc6c408771ad3c6f59/Burghard-2018-facilingsilence-web2.jpg" /&#62;
 &#60;img width="750" height="712" width_o="750" height_o="712" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/efd2a41f4224fa24f9c2781c7aa42bcb1cd599e8388a58ecef5a40451a55db5c/Ryan-Burghard-2018-facingsilence-web.jpg" data-mid="49520756" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/750/i/efd2a41f4224fa24f9c2781c7aa42bcb1cd599e8388a58ecef5a40451a55db5c/Ryan-Burghard-2018-facingsilence-web.jpg" /&#62;
	
	A section of wall was removed from the interior of a recently vacant office building in Portland, OR prior to demolition. The lath and plaster section was originally built in 1907 and was grafted into the galleries existing infrastructure (renovated in 1989).
	
 &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp;
	

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		<title>Break</title>
				
		<link>https://ryanburghard.com/Break</link>

		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Aug 2019 15:42:55 +0000</pubDate>

		<dc:creator>Ryan Burghard</dc:creator>

		<guid isPermaLink="true">https://ryanburghard.com/Break</guid>

		<description>
	
	
Break&#38;nbsp;/ 2019

&#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp;
	
	broken silence and the promise you’d return, time got the better of us both
	

 &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp;
	
	
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		<title>Mirror</title>
				
		<link>https://ryanburghard.com/Mirror</link>

		<pubDate>Thu, 12 Nov 2020 18:06:26 +0000</pubDate>

		<dc:creator>Ryan Burghard</dc:creator>

		<guid isPermaLink="true">https://ryanburghard.com/Mirror</guid>

		<description>
	
	
Mirror&#38;nbsp;/ 2020

&#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp;
	
	
 &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp;
	
	each fragile impression&#38;nbsp;
&#38;nbsp;a radiant fault and the residue of memory&#38;nbsp;


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		<title>The Sun Alone Will Not Illuminate</title>
				
		<link>https://ryanburghard.com/The-Sun-Alone-Will-Not-Illuminate</link>

		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Aug 2019 19:38:55 +0000</pubDate>

		<dc:creator>Ryan Burghard</dc:creator>

		<guid isPermaLink="true">https://ryanburghard.com/The-Sun-Alone-Will-Not-Illuminate</guid>

		<description>
	
	
The Sun Alone Will Not Illuminate&#38;nbsp;/ 2018 - Ongoing

&#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp;&#60;img width="750" height="529" width_o="750" height_o="529" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/0c5bfa5cb6b073eb812895ee565626e2010417ad6ff3c837d7bf7a95baffa9ae/Burghard_bee_web.jpg" data-mid="49537619" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/750/i/0c5bfa5cb6b073eb812895ee565626e2010417ad6ff3c837d7bf7a95baffa9ae/Burghard_bee_web.jpg" /&#62;honey bee, entomology pins &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp;
Insects enter our domestic spaces for various reasons, some in search of food, others for warmth, or they are following the pheromone trails in hopes of mating. Others accidentally fly or wander in when we leave a door or window open long enough. 
For THE SUN ALONE WILL NOT ILLUMINATE, the gallery space is scoured in search of an insect that has previously died within the space. This insect is then pinned and mounted to the gallery wall as both a specimen and an illustration.
 &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp;
	
	
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		<title>Self Reflective Cups</title>
				
		<link>https://ryanburghard.com/Self-Reflective-Cups</link>

		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Aug 2019 19:57:28 +0000</pubDate>

		<dc:creator>Ryan Burghard</dc:creator>

		<guid isPermaLink="true">https://ryanburghard.com/Self-Reflective-Cups</guid>

		<description>
	
	
Self Reflective Cups&#38;nbsp;/ 2016 - Ongoing

&#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp;&#60;img width="750" height="529" width_o="750" height_o="529" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/edb6b014121570c8abb41ece109fd188f15d40150b9b49bad23cbc454cf267ab/694d84314b14bdf6-Burghard-selfReflectiveCupweb.jpg" data-mid="49539427" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/750/i/edb6b014121570c8abb41ece109fd188f15d40150b9b49bad23cbc454cf267ab/694d84314b14bdf6-Burghard-selfReflectiveCupweb.jpg" /&#62;
 &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp;
	
	
Self Reflective Cups are formed by slowly kneading a styrofoam cup inside out (over a period of hours). The creation of each Self Reflective Cup is a performance that simultaneously engages the body and the mind and the process itself becomes the work. When a cup is successfully inverted without a crack, puncture or tear, the performance ends and the piece is complete.
 &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp;
	
	
	&#60;img width="2867" height="2867" width_o="2867" height_o="2867" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/3c873cbd8c65707c32cda304ce9288afd4c6bf74015c86be20351907394621f0/F4D60715-8B51-4A9A-B4F6-BBAE821C3E6C.JPG" data-mid="50050643" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/3c873cbd8c65707c32cda304ce9288afd4c6bf74015c86be20351907394621f0/F4D60715-8B51-4A9A-B4F6-BBAE821C3E6C.JPG" /&#62;
	A self reflectice cup made by Zacharia Mathis

Throughout the Fall of 2018,&#38;nbsp; one of my students, Zacharia Mathis would routinely come to class and question how it was that I was able to turn a styrofoam cup inside out. Convinced that there must be a trick behind their creation he was determined to find the answer.&#38;nbsp;ZM: Do you use heat?RB: No Zacharia, just my hands, patience and time.ZM: Do you use glue?RB: No Zacharia, just my hands, patience and time. &#38;nbsp;
ZM: Do you use a tool?
RB: No Zacharia, just my hands, patience and time.&#38;nbsp;
After three months had passed I arrived to find a self reflective cup&#38;nbsp; with the words&#38;nbsp; ‘FOR RYAN’ written on it hanging from the door knob of my office.&#38;nbsp; Zacharia had been quietly attempting to turn a cup inside out and left evidence of his accomploishment for me as a gift.&#38;nbsp;
When I set out to make the first self reflective cup I had intended&#38;nbsp; to make a work that required time, patience and an attention to the tinsel strength of&#38;nbsp; material. This was intended to be methaphorical conversation beween myself and an inanimate object. I had never imagined the act of turning a cup inside out would inspire a different type of conversation all together.&#38;nbsp;

Thank you to Zacharia Mathis for this gift and for making the conversation a more rewarding one.&#38;nbsp;
	
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		<title>Burnouts</title>
				
		<link>https://ryanburghard.com/Burnouts</link>

		<pubDate>Fri, 30 Aug 2019 22:09:16 +0000</pubDate>

		<dc:creator>Ryan Burghard</dc:creator>

		<guid isPermaLink="true">https://ryanburghard.com/Burnouts</guid>

		<description>
	
	
Burnouts&#38;nbsp;/ 2017

&#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp;&#60;img width="750" height="534" width_o="750" height_o="534" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5962bf2659429bba4fc31f2474e0b815516e014a2a29f2ae227de565b53c9a0a/ryanburghard_burnout.jpg" data-mid="49602324" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/750/i/5962bf2659429bba4fc31f2474e0b815516e014a2a29f2ae227de565b53c9a0a/ryanburghard_burnout.jpg" /&#62;
 &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp; &#38;nbsp;
	cast chewing gum, pigment, copper tubing, nag champa
	
	
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		<title>Whatever Hour You Woke</title>
				
		<link>https://ryanburghard.com/Whatever-Hour-You-Woke</link>

		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Aug 2019 04:30:27 +0000</pubDate>

		<dc:creator>Ryan Burghard</dc:creator>

		<guid isPermaLink="true">https://ryanburghard.com/Whatever-Hour-You-Woke</guid>

		<description>Whatever Hour You Woke
	Portland Pataphysical Society &#124; Portland, OR &#124; June 7 - July 13, 2018
	
	
&#60;img width="864" height="558" width_o="864" height_o="558" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ee6f652b969d110bd39ce82aa5a9b979535646fd9fff24fa960be7cccca7d192/8bd33e8602c26828-Pata-Burghard-2018-DSC_9558_web.jpg" data-mid="49489589" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/864/i/ee6f652b969d110bd39ce82aa5a9b979535646fd9fff24fa960be7cccca7d192/8bd33e8602c26828-Pata-Burghard-2018-DSC_9558_web.jpg" /&#62;
&#60;img width="864" height="577" width_o="864" height_o="577" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/cfaf33a474001b7edaa34de72adf7dc12059d5f4bc088d0ced98ca6337b8c2a1/6bf5883fd779283a-Pata-Burghard-2018-DSC_9533_web.jpg" data-mid="49489586" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/864/i/cfaf33a474001b7edaa34de72adf7dc12059d5f4bc088d0ced98ca6337b8c2a1/6bf5883fd779283a-Pata-Burghard-2018-DSC_9533_web.jpg" /&#62;
&#60;img width="864" height="749" width_o="864" height_o="749" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/13786c50546ee798f08d97c402456bf7c326b9fb868083bd0718832bccc3276f/9263b34294108555-Pata-Burghard-2018-DSC_9541_web.jpg" data-mid="49489590" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/864/i/13786c50546ee798f08d97c402456bf7c326b9fb868083bd0718832bccc3276f/9263b34294108555-Pata-Burghard-2018-DSC_9541_web.jpg" /&#62;
&#60;img width="1500" height="1423" width_o="1500" height_o="1423" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/0eee07899c336ae3a996943efe3d066156db1d8cfcc4a220e6fcbc4f01c71a15/07b3732f16537272-Pata-Burghard-2018-web.jpg" data-mid="49489592" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/0eee07899c336ae3a996943efe3d066156db1d8cfcc4a220e6fcbc4f01c71a15/07b3732f16537272-Pata-Burghard-2018-web.jpg" /&#62;
&#60;img width="833" height="576" width_o="833" height_o="576" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8029a71d64b6907339cc6fa995ac4e506e92b2fe4dcc822b5912dbab45d43304/55d7fc197535fdf0-Pata-Burghard-2018-DSC_9506_web.jpg" data-mid="49489582" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/833/i/8029a71d64b6907339cc6fa995ac4e506e92b2fe4dcc822b5912dbab45d43304/55d7fc197535fdf0-Pata-Burghard-2018-DSC_9506_web.jpg" /&#62;
&#60;img width="512" height="720" width_o="512" height_o="720" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/187f083b0c54b998e1b747a214b93665b112af7374d6e2874c0955de9cd73ae2/3811bac4c8004bd9-Pata-Burghard-2018-DSC_9511_web.jpg" data-mid="49489580" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/512/i/187f083b0c54b998e1b747a214b93665b112af7374d6e2874c0955de9cd73ae2/3811bac4c8004bd9-Pata-Burghard-2018-DSC_9511_web.jpg" /&#62;

	
Whatever hour you woke is a collection of work that explores notions of time and duration through the traces, marks and imprints that remain in our absence.
At first glance we are presented with familiar objects arranged in a seemingly incidental manner. But Burghard’s slight material alterations and attention to the physical space imbue what we perceive as common with a poetic and emotive sensibility.
Each work acts as an open metaphor for the fundamental aspects of our human condition and each trace questions the undeniable reality of presence.
	
	
&#60;img width="1171" height="1600" width_o="1171" height_o="1600" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ec84b49a73244bafd6cd1b1ca9145a15f629fa8aeb13058ea42ccec575b3afe5/virginia-woolf.jpg" data-mid="49517070" border="0"  src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ec84b49a73244bafd6cd1b1ca9145a15f629fa8aeb13058ea42ccec575b3afe5/virginia-woolf.jpg" /&#62;Virginia Woolf 
A Haunted HouseWhatever hour you woke there was a door shutting. From room to room they went, hand in hand, lifting here, opening there, making sure—a ghostly couple.
“Here we left it,” she said. And he added, “Oh, but here too!” “It’s upstairs,” she murmured. “And in the garden,” he whispered “Quietly,” they said, “or we shall wake them.”
But it wasn’t that you woke us. Oh, no. “They’re looking for it; they’re drawing the curtain,” one might say, and so read on a page or two. “Now they’ve found it,” one would be certain, stopping the pencil on the margin. And then, tired of reading, one might rise and see for oneself, the house all empty, the doors standing open, only the wood pigeons bubbling with content and the hum of the threshing machine sounding from the farm. “What did I come in here for? What did I want to find?” My hands were empty. “Perhaps it’s upstairs then?” The apples were in the loft. And so down again, the garden still as ever, only the book had slipped into the grass.
But they had found it in the drawing room. Not that one could ever see them. The window panes reflected apples, reflected roses; all the leaves were green in the glass. If they moved in the drawing room, the apple only turned its yellow side. Yet, the moment after, if the door was opened, spread about the floor, hung upon the walls, pendant from the ceiling—what? My hands were empty. The shadow of a thrush crossed the carpet; from the deepest wells of silence the wood pigeon drew its bubble of sound. “Safe, safe, safe,” the pulse of the house beat softly. “The treasure buried; the room . . . ” the pulse stopped short. Oh, was that the buried treasure?
A moment later the light had faded. Out in the garden then? But the trees spun darkness for a wandering beam of sun. So fine, so rare, coolly sunk beneath the surface the beam I sought always burnt behind the glass. Death was the glass; death was between us; coming to the woman first, hundreds of years ago, leaving the house, sealing all the windows; the rooms were darkened. He left it, left her, went North, went East, saw the stars turned in the Southern sky; sought the house, found it dropped beneath the Downs. “Safe, safe, safe,” the pulse of the house beat gladly. “The Treasure yours.”
The wind roars up the avenue. Trees stoop and bend this way and that. Moonbeams splash and spill wildly in the rain. But the beam of the lamp falls straight from the window. The candle burns stiff and still. Wandering through the house, opening the windows, whispering not to wake us, the ghostly couple seek their joy.
“Here we slept,” she says. And he adds, “Kisses without number.” “Waking in the morning—” “Silver between the trees—” “Upstairs—” “In the garden—” “When summer came—” “In winter snowtime—” The doors go shutting far in the distance, gently knocking like the pulse of a heart.
Nearer they come; cease at the doorway. The wind falls, the rain slides silver down the glass. Our eyes darken; we hear no steps beside us; we see no lady spread her ghostly cloak. His hands shield the lantern. “Look,” he breathes. “Sound asleep. Love upon their lips.”
Stooping, holding their silver lamp above us, long they look and deeply. Long they pause. The wind drives straightly; the flame stoops slightly. Wild beams of moonlight cross both floor and wall, and, meeting, stain the faces bent; the faces pondering; the faces that search the sleepers and seek their hidden joy.
“Safe, safe, safe,” the heart of the house beats proudly. “Long years—” he sighs. “Again you found me.” “Here,” she murmurs, “sleeping; in the garden reading; laughing, rolling apples in the loft. Here we left our treasure—” Stooping, their light lifts the lids upon my eyes. “Safe! safe! safe!” the pulse of the house beats wildly. Waking, I cry “Oh, is this your buried treasure? The light in the heart.”
	
	
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