"Forget it. I'm taking to the open road. I will stop hesitating, stop doubting, stop whining; I will supply my own needs and be content where I am, with what I have. I don't need to shoot for the stars. I like the earth. I am still dragging all of my past sins and burdens with me, but that's okay. They are part of me, and I am part of them." The actual poem is at the bottom.
| AFOOT and light-hearted, I take to the open road, | |
| Healthy, free, the world before me, | |
| The long brown path before me, leading wherever I choose. | |
| Henceforth I ask not good-fortune—I myself am good fortune; | |
| Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing, | 5 |
| Strong and content, I travel the open road. | |
| The earth—that is sufficient; | |
| I do not want the constellations any nearer; | |
| I know they are very well where they are; | |
| I know they suffice for those who belong to them. | 10 |
| (Still here I carry my old delicious burdens; | |
| I carry them, men and women—I carry them with me wherever I go; | |
| I swear it is impossible for me to get rid of them; | |
| I am fill’d with them, and I will fill them in return.) |
Not to sound like a broken record in these comments, but again with the incredible colors and amazing hair! Your palettes in these paintings are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteWhere to start?! I love how her wind-whipped hair is echoed by the blue swirls in the heavens, making her part of the universe through which she is traveling! I love the smatterings among the stars that give the heavens such motion. I love how her burdens are tethered to her arm, not like so much baggage weighing her down, but like a beloved dog whom she is taking on a walk. (Whitman describes the burdens as "delicious" after all--a past that contributes to who we are as opposed to threatening to destroy us--so cool!) I know you don't do nudes often, but how appropriate to make this traveler vulnerable and brave and easy with herself. And that rosy cheek! That perfect symbol of health and vitality that is repeated in her nipple. I love that you put her face right at the edge of the canvas as though we are stationary, looking at this dream-like landscape, and she has but briefly swept through our line of sight and is off to destinations unknown to and unseeable by us. Finally, her expression is captivating. She seems both somber and eager. She's not laughing and deluding herself that her trip is going to be filled with rainbows and puppies, but neither is she fearing what's ahead. She has a profound respect, I feel, for what she is about to encounter. A lovely piece from start to finish.