When it comes to love, I am a cynic. I don’t believe in love for myself, and I am still resolutely opposed to the idea of being in a relationship. But I am inspired by stories of people who find the real thing.
A few days ago I heard that a Twitter friend, a musician who sometimes tweets picture of his enormous dogs, was going through the kind of personal anguish I can only imagine. His wife, the love of his life, had a stroke last Friday and has been in a coma since. Cobus has been tweeting about the ICU nurses and thanking us for our good wishes. “We are in miracle territory,” he tweeted last night.
When I saw that tweet, I immediately experienced a feeling of a painting I needed to create. It’s difficult to articulate: the feeling arrives first, and then the image forms, and then I try to create the feeling.
The figures are intended to evoke both a flame and a heart in the darkness. They are surrounded by moths and stars. The words read “We are in the territory of miracles and the stars hold us in their light; the world turns and the flame burns bright.” Normally I don’t rhyme but Cobus writes songs, and songs need to rhyme.
This is for you, Cobus and Linda. You inspire me, and I am thinking of you. We are in the territory of miracles, and I will never forget that.