Winter sky

Off-blue, off-grey, off-white… the colourist has laid out an unmistakeable winter sky.

Clouds: Blending yet separated, defined yet merging, static yet fluid, focussed yet blurred, the palette used in ways of wonder and mystery.

Behind me the sky is more monotone, more threatening.

This evening it will rain.

(c) TNH 2009

I Like You

I like you
And I know why,
I like you because
You are a good person to like.
I like you because
When I tell you something special
You know it’s special
And you remember it
A long, long time,
You say,
“Remember when you told me
something special?”
And both of us remember.
When I think something is important,
You think it’s important too.
We have good ideas.
When I say something funny, you laugh.
I think I’m funny.
You think I’m funny too.
I like you because
You know where I’m ticklish
And you don’t tickle me there
Except just a tiny bit…
Sometimes.
Stop!
But if you do, then I know where
to tickle you too.
You know how to be silly.
That’s why I like you.
Boy! Are you ever silly!
I never met anyone sillier than me
Till I met you.
I like you because
You know when it’s time to stop
being silly.
Maybe day after tomorrow.
Maybe never.
Oops! Too late!
It’s quarter past silly.
We fool around the same way all the time.
Sometimes we don’t say a word.
We snurkle under fences,
We spy secret places.
If I’m a goofus on the roofus,
You are one too.
If I pretend I’m drowning,
You pretend you’re saving me.
If I am getting ready to pop a paper bag,
Then you are ready to jump.
That’s because you really like me.
You really like me, don’t you?
And I like you back.
And that’s the way we keep going
Everyday……..
If I go away, then you go away.
Or if I stay home,
You send me a postcard.
You just don’t say
Well, see you around sometimes.
Bye.
I like you a lots because of that.
If we go away together
And if I get lost in Grand Central Station,
Then you are the one that’s yelling
for me:
Hey, where are you?
Here I am.
I like you because
When I am feeling sad
You don’t cheer me up right away.
Sometimes it’s better to be sad.
You can’t stand others being
so googly and goggly
Every single moment.
You want to know about things.
It takes time.
I like you because
If I am mad at you
Then you get mad at me too.
It’s awful when the other person isn’t.
Phooey!
They are just so nice and so hoo-hoo you
could just punch them in the nose.
I like you because
When I think I am going to throw up
You don’t pretend you are busy
Looking at the birds and all that.
You say: “Maybe it was something
you ate”.
You say: “that happened to me one time”.
And the same thing did.
If you find two four leaf clovers,
You give me one.
If I find four, I give you two.
If we find only three, we keep looking.
Sometimes we have good luck
And sometimes we don’t.
If break my arm and if you break your
arm too,
Then it is lots of fun to have a
broken arm.
You tell me about mine
And I tell you about yours.
We both are sorry.
We write names and draw pictures.
We show everybody and they wish they
Had broken arms too.
I like you because-I don’t know why-
but-
Everything that happens is nicer with you.
I can’t remember when I didn’t like you.
It must have been lonesome then.
I like you because-because-because-
It’s the fourth of July
On the fifth of July.
And if you and I had some drums
And some horns and horses and some
fire engines,
We could be a holiday
We could be a celebration
We could be a whole parade.
See what I mean?
Even if it was the nine hundredth and
ninety-ninth of July
Even if it was August
Even if it was way down at the bottom
of November
Even if it was no place in particular
in January
I would go on choosing you
And you would go on choosing me
Over and over again.
That’s how it would happen every time.
I don’t know why.
I guess I don’t know why I really
Like you.
Why do I like you???
I guess I like you – – –
I guess I like you – – –
Because I LIKE YOU

(by Sandol Stoddard Warburg)

Amanda (2)

I am going to bed now.
 
It is my turn to go to sleep alone…
wishing that you were next to me,
wishing that you were holding me in your arms,
wishing that I could feel your breath on the side of my face,
wishing that I could smell you next to me, so close,
wishing that I could feel the touch of your skin against mine,
wishing that we could luxuriate in each other’s presence…
as lovers for all time.
 
Goodnight, my darling.

Amanda (1)

I want to fall in love with walking up behind you and putting my arms around you while you are preparing dinner.
I want to fall in love with the way you “wash your fish”.
I want to fall in love with seeing you drying your hair.
I want to fall in love with the way you ask me to do things for you.
I want to fall in love with helping you do things.
I want to fall in love with the way I feel when we are out together and people see us.
I want to fall in love with surprising you when you least expect it. 
I want to fall in love with seeing you relaxing in the evening.
I want to fall in love with the way Lily twists you round her little finger and gets her own way all the time.
I want to fall in love with feeling so lucky that I found you.
I want to fall in love with you… the real you.
And I hope that you can fall in love with me.