on the planet

Standing by the south window, I caught a sweet scent, like burnt sugar.
My son was asking my wife to teach him how to play the card game 'Daifugo.' Neither my wife nor I had played it in a long time. Even when we looked up the rules, it was only enough to vaguely recall, 'Ah, that’s how it went.' It seems he hadn't known the game and was left out by his friends during school recess. The words they said to him at that time sounded a bit harsh to adult ears. 'Daifugo' has many local rules, and some of the current ones didn't exist in the past. My wife and my mother played along with him, listening as he explained the rules of today. He seemed to understand them to some extent, and even when he didn't, he figured it out as he went along. I asked him how he felt about what his friends had said, but he didn't seem to mind at all. To an adult, a 'harsh word' can change its meaning depending on the relationship. Listening to him, I thought about how sensitive the world has become toward language.
And here I am, adding words to my photographs. In a world of photography—devoid of sound and scent—how do words relate to what is seen? On the final night of winter break, I scolded my son for something he did. The photograph of him I had taken during the day began to show me a side of him that felt different from the moment I captured it.

On the planet. MT
On the planet. MT
On the planet. MT
On the planet. MT
On the planet. MT
On the planet. MT

南の窓辺に立つと、砂糖を焦がしたような甘い香りがした。

トランプの「大富豪」を教えてほしいと息子が妻に言っていた。妻も私も「大富豪」を久しくやっていない。遊び方やルールを調べても、ああそんな感じだったなと思い出すくらいだ。どうやら息子は学校の休み時間に「大富豪」を知らなくて、仲間に入れてもらえなかったようだ。その時、友だちにかけられた言葉は大人が聞くと、少し強い言葉に聞こえた。「大富豪」はローカルルールがあり、昔のルールにはなかったものもあるようだ。

妻と私の母が息子から今のルールを聞きながら相手をしている。息子はある程度ルールを理解してるように思える。それでも分からないことがあり、調べながらできるようになっていく。

息子に友だちにかけられた言葉について、その時どう思ったか聞いてみたが、息子はまるで気にしてないようだ。大人からすると強い言葉は友だちとの関係性によって変わってくる。

息子の話を聞きながら、言葉に敏感な今の世の中をふと思った。

そして、私は写真に言葉を添えている。音や匂いがない写真の世界は言葉とどのように関わっていくのだろうか。

冬休み最後の日の夜、息子のある行動を叱った。昼間に撮った息子の写真は、撮ったときと違う様子を見せていた。

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