the second swan

Matisse sat in a boat and drew swans. He drew every detail of their forms just to carve them down into contour lines. That's what I want to do-- to get to the second swan. I sometimes overdose myself with myself hoping to eventually streamline. Too much just to get to just enough. Like Matisee, I want to turn excess into essence.

haiku

Basho (1644-1694) is one of the most famous Haiku poets. His name means banana tree. A name he self-imposed after moving to a hut with a banana tree beside it.

And tonight I want to write a haiku so that I can embroidery it on his pillow case.

Swans look for soulmates. And once they mate, they mate for life. If one dies, the other pines away until he dies, too. For them, there's no second swan.