Ghosts in the Field

A couple of years ago, I blogged about regrets I had about photos not taken. . . those images seared in my mind when I had thought. "I wish I had my camera . . ." or "I should come back tomorrow with my camera."  One of the images I was thinking about were scarecrows in the agricultural fields near where I live that bore a strong resemblance to Easter crosses.  There was a wooden frame, wrapped in white linen which flapped in the breeze. 
The image struck me because I write about the plight of farm workers in my "real" job as a law professor. I approach their plight as an issue of justice and human rights, with a religious/ethical undertone to my critique.  So, the cross imagery spoke to me in a very deep way. 
But, I never stopped to save the image, even though it was right around the corner from my house.  And it has bothered me ever since. 
Fast forward to this fall, and different scarecrows appeared in the same field.  These ones are different, but still speak to me.  
So, this year, I grabbed my camera and went and took the pictures.

I can imagine this one as the cover to the book I am writing on how we treat certain workers as not fully human. . . just like these scarecrows which resemble humans but are merely ghosts, doing their job without recognition.  Perhaps as the season goes on, the overalls will fray and the hats will blow away.  Perhaps the scarecrows will once again resemble Easter crosses.  If they do, then I promise myself I will grab my camera and go capture that image, too.  Because, today I learned an important lesson.  Sometimes you do get a second chance.