today i attended an art exhibit
with thrashing colors of green and gold
stories of misfortune and a culture
so rich that we all drown in it
i see a woman, dressed to the nines
in glitter and sequins
laughing with a swirling glass
of red wine in her hand
so i come over to her
in awe, saying
"i love what you all are doing here,"
she turns to me with a
genuine pearly smile
and parts her mouth to speak
but suddenly there's a woman behind me
i thought not much older than i
that asks,
"and what is that?"
for a moment i turn,
a bit surprised.
she wears jeans and
a t-shirt, a hat with a feather in it
and gazes at me
with eyes i knew
were any place
other than here.
"what is it that
you think is done here?"
she asks again
"because i haven't quite
figured it out yet."
i sit a bit awkwardly,
not really knowing
how to explain an art exhibit
to someone who'd clearly
never been before.
"um, they're selling art," i tell her,
"local artists, from all over the place,
and they put it on display here.
i just thought it was
really nice, you know?"
and she watches at me for a moment
as if waiting for some other answer.
"is that so?" she says
to no one in particular
as she disappears
into the rows of paintings.
turning back to the
crystalline woman,
hoping to recover from
the uncomfortable exchange,
i begin to speak again
but she cuts me off.
"she's created everything in
this studio," she tells me.
motioning to the mysterious girl
in the brown feather hat.
"everything in here is hers,
and she's been doing this for
twenty years. i'm so proud
to be her business partner."
and at that, i was shocked
as i listened to the stories
of an artist, who, although discovered,
kept the humility of a saint
and made me wonder to myself
what if i, like the woman in
the feather hat, never quite know
what i am supposed to do
with my one shot at a life,
no matter how much success
i attain?
