Lynne Scott Constantine, 2022
digital photo composite, 24″ x 18″

Does repair of the world require superheroes? I don’t think so.

From the Judeo-Christian tradition, I think of the story of Esther——an ordinary woman, a foreigner, who caught the attention of a rash and violent king and who used his favor to save her people from disaster. Despite her very realistic fears of the king’s wrath, she heeded the words of her wise counselor, who said, “Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for just such a time as this? – I imagine the mythical Phoenix as living out most of its life as an ordinary bird, until its moment comes for transformation.

I created the fire part of this composite image by photographing a burning wrapper from a Lazzaroni Amaretti Di Saronno cookie; traditionally, when formed into a tube and lit on fire, the wrapper would fly off, carrying with it any wish you made. Unfortunately, the wrappers were reformulated and no longer fly, but they still burn beautifully, and I believe they still empower wishes. The “Phoenix” flying overhead is actually a brown pelican I photographed recently near the pier created from the old Bonner Bridge.