Innocents Beguiled

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‘Sulvec Beach Children’ by Sayote Queen

Children Of A Greater God

06 January – The pastoral text of Fr Reuter is this: I pray for the children, especially those whose future is compromised by exploitation and by the malice of unscrupulous adults. – Benedict XVI. They are on a beach at Narvacan, Ilocos Sur, Northern Philippines. Innocents, that’s what they all look. SQ has a story to tell about these kids: They were picking shells and she was picking shots but nobody wanted to have anything to do with any picture taken. But, I suppose, SQ had the warm smile that melted the shyness, with great result. The image has subdued beauty, even if taken at about 1100 hr, even without sharp contrast. It has charm. SQ doesn’t say if she asked them to pose like that; anyway, the smiles are there, the smiles no camera can paint, the lack of pretense no photographer can put on, because these are the smiles of blamelessness, guilelessness. If you take advantage of children like these, they become Innocents Beguiled (with apologies to Mark Twain).