You just put your lips together and… blow

.

Slim: You know you don’t have to act with me, Steve. You don’t have to say anything, and you don’t have to do anything. Not a thing. Oh, maybe just whistle. You know how to whistle, don’t you, Steve? You just put your lips together and… blow.

– To Have and Have Not (1944)

.

The blows of life,

don’t always have to hurt,

they can be gentle,

soothing,

soft breath caressing the nape of a neck,

a prelude to a kiss.

.

A kiss can sometimes hit harder,

than a fist.

.

Bob,

the subject of this photograph,

has a face built to take blows,

as he is a piece of boxing equipment.

But,

he has become a member of our family,

a familiar face.

He may not be human,

may not feel a thing,

but we are human,

and can feel for him.

.

A strange kind of empathy.

.

I took a martial arts class in school,

I failed the exams,

deliberately,

because I refused to play along with the process,

get credits for hurting others,

for no logical reason,

but an illogical one,

to get the accessory of a better colour,

in the rainbow of promotional belts,

by making people black and blue.

.

I preferred to make love not war,

blow kisses instead of other types of blows.

.

[Slim kisses Steve]

Steve: What did you do that for?

Slim: I’ve been wondering if I’d like it.

Steve: What’s the decision?

Slim: I don’t know yet.

[They kiss again]

Slim: It’s even better when you help.

– To Have and Have Not (1944)

.

.

*for B is for…… Blow

(this shot is the result of the blows my equipment dealt to my original idea for this photography prompt)