Ode to Howard
I breathe you in
my husband
I hear your tender voice
see your tall quiet body
I gather up your strength
remember your never ending support
and become high
I remember you driving me to an art workshop
when I began creating baskets
thank you for placing our sleeping young son
on the backseat of the car
waiting patiently for me
never complaining
thank you for endlessly packing up my baskets
to send to galleries all over the country
thank you for climbing on ladders
when my work changed to installation pieces
hanging them on walls and from the ceiling
disregarding warnings of danger
when I went on many artist residencies
gone for a month at a time
thank you for your patience
you never complained about my meager income
even though you were comfortable with
the medieval art at the Frick
thank you for appreciating my contemporary creations
my beauty my intellect
you understood my value