The muse that calms me
T has had to wake me up each morning since she’s returned – unusual when I typically rocket out of bed upon waking. She has been walking Loca in the morning with me because I’m off to NY so soon after she arrived – my pace is slower with her beside me. When Loca takes off after a squirrel, T calms Loca and tells her that squirrels are our friend and then she strokes her snout and makes her sit still. When we get home, she makes my breakfast: half a bagel cut in half, one side has hazelnut butter from Zagreb, the other has poppy seed spread from Istanbul drizzled with mulberry juice, slices of a ripe banana and chai tea. She puts it on the counter for me to sit and eat in peace. [Eels ease into the day.] Then she sends me up to work.
Above my computer is a painting by Randy Sexton of an Asian almost Indian looking woman resting against a turquoise background – she was my first muse – I adore this portrait because the woman’s face calms me. Behind me is a sketch by Kim Frohsin of a naked woman on her side with her leg and arm kicked up behind her against a backdrop of grey and yellow – she was my second muse – I picked this muse when I wanted to re-energize my writing.
In the digital age – the image of my new muse is on my computer screen – this is a photograph of T taken by Marc Pagani in Grand Isle last year – she is my living, breathing muse.
