She is beautiful

I have stopped to take a photo of a tree with with a vine. Frantic loud music masks my unquiet mind and the world beyond. It's thrash creates a discordant quality. It balances racing thoughts with the effect of white noise and stimulation.

It hurts. But works.

I turn to leave and a woman is standing beside me smiling. She is beautiful. She has walked out of Gauguin's ‘Tahitian Women on the Beach.’

[ W= woman ]

W: Is it the tree or the vine?

P: Both

[ I turn off my music ]

P: I have walked by this tree many times. Today it seems different. Maybe the light?

[ We stand in silence ]

P: It is beautifully tortuous. Actually I'm trying to photograph my mind.

[ She smiles ]

W: I have driven by this tree many times. Today it seems different. I think it is the light.

W: I would like a leaf.

P: Are you a leaf appreciator?

[ We laugh ]

W: I don't have time today to drop in and ask the owner because I'm on my way to my pottery class at Redcliffe.

P: A potter! An artisan! Will you use it for a pressing?

W: I'll just place it on my table in my small studio. I'll watch it and some ideas will percolate. And I'll see what arrives. It's the size and shape that fascinates me. And somewhere along the line there it will be and I'll be inspired. This magnificent leaf will find representation in one of my works or even a series of pieces.

[ We stand in silence ]

W: I need pottery. It works for me. It helps to quieten my mind.

[ She gently holds my hand. Smiles. Walks away and is gone. ]

***

I realise I had bern crying before she appeared. I am fighting through the remnants of a Bipolar 1 (Rapid Cycling) Mixed Episode. I'm switchy. I look at the photos on my phone and work through a checklist in my head.

Yes. That was real. Authentic. Not a visitation.

Pauline Fountain. © 2023. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be used or reproduced without the written permission of the author.