 roof Lady – foto by smith Lady turns 36 today. We’ve been together almost 10% of that, the last 40 months. When she first entered my life, I asked what her purpose was. She replied, “To replace you.” And she certainly did. She re-placed me from Cleveland USA to Oaxaca Mexico via England Netherlands Poland Croatia Italy France Spain Morocco England France Spain USA. Earlier I asked her what I was going to do with her. She answered, “You do with me as you want.” So I wrote her this poem: Pulp Lust – Your “you do with me as you want” / Popped plans of white slave trades / And long slow humid caravans / On large lumbering cockroaches / Thru jungle green into my brain. Lady changed my life, likely saved it. Before her I sat alone in neon dark in front of a computer screen writing and smoking and croaking through the unknown cancer eating my voice box. She snuck in to my life, turned on my lights, talked me into seeing a doctor and having the cancer removed. Then after saving me, she took me on this grand 30 month adventure in travel, art, poetry, companionship, friendship, collaboration, and marriage. And our book of my life and crimes – Criminal by Smith & Lady – exists solely because she insisted it would. I respect the heck out of her. Her mind. Her talent. Her will. Her goodness. She’s the most impressive person I know, my favorite person. I’m with the person I want to be with, and I believe she wants to be with me. She’s walking a difficult path right now trying to decontaminate herself from some serious side-effecting medicine she’s been taking the past four months that muddies her mind, depresses her creativity, sluggifies her body. She’s been doing hard time, but it looks like she’s about broken on through to the other side. Life sometimes isn’t as easy as it is other times, and most times it ain’t easy at all. It’s hard to be human. It helps having someone to share the pain and joy with, makes it easier to keep on truckin’. Before Lady I was alone but not lonely – now I’m two as one. For me, this has been a journey from less is more to more is more. For her it’s more a journey from dark to light, death to life – a trip that’s still in process but going the right direction.  cemetery Lady – foto by smith |