Today’s Inspiration from Hafiz

This morning I showed Lucy the work of Jean Tinguely, one of my favorite artists. I studied his collaborations with Nicki de Saint Phalle for my graduate school thesis project, Art and Play. Fantastic Paradise, one of their installations, is found in Stockholm, the next city on my Souvenir Series tour.

Lucy and I are going to collaborate on a piece this last couple of weeks before she starts kindergarten. We made a few baby steps today. We looked at some art work, we traced circles on watercolor paper and started cutting them out. I ended up cutting them out myself while she went back to work on her Barbie car made out of a box covered with tissue paper.

I am excited about this piece and, yes, that it features ABBA! Sometimes when I start a new project, I grab The Gift by Hafiz and open it up for a little inspiration. Hafiz never fails. This poem is a great reminder to keep at it. Throughout this series, I keep finding words of encouragement to continue working as an artist. And today, for me, baby steps count.

SO MANY GIFTS

There are so many gifts
Still unopened from your birthday,
There are so many hand-crafted presents
That have been sent to you by God.

The Beloved does not mind repeating,
“Everything I have is also yours.”

Please forgive Hafiz and the Friend
If we break into a sweet laughter
When your heart complains of being thirsty
When ages ago
Every cell in your soul
Capsized forever
Into this infinite golden sea.

Indeed,
A lover’s pain is like holding one’s breath
Too long
In the middle of a vital performance,

In the middle of one of creations favorite
Songs.

Indeed, a lover’s pain is this sleeping,
This sleeping,
When God just rolled over and gave you
Such a big good-morning kiss!

There are so many gifts, my dear,
Still unopened from your birthday.

O, There are so many hand-crafted presents
That have been sent to your life
From God.

Once I picked up the book again, the poem on the left seemed to reinforce the goal of this project: to collaborate with Lucy.

THAT SHAPES THE EYE

Children
Can easily open the
Drawer

That lets the spirit rise up and wear
Its favorite costume of
Mirth and laughter

When the mind is consumed with
Remembrance of
Him

Something divine happens to the
Heart

That
Shapes the hand and tongue
And eye into
The word
Love