Devonne Brown

Artwork by Charles Jupiter Hamilton

It took a long time to get here, to this place of the ordinary. What had to be figured out was what was commonplace. What could be tolerated, what she wanted to confront. She learned to pick the battles. Some fell away, some had to be fought. Some she lost, some she won, some didn’t matter after all. Some niggled like a dripping water faucet.

It took a long time to get here, to this place where she knew there would be more to discover, this time with intention. Time was running out, catching up with her, she wanted to resolve a bunch of things within her reach. 

To quote Robert Heinlein, “When the ship lifts, all debts are paid, no exceptions.” She was ready for the ship to lift. She was so tired of the petty birds’ nests in her head that she couldn’t shake loose no matter how hard she tried. Peace. She dreamed of peace that never came.

A whirlwind of color clouded her mind as she thought of the future. Reds, blues, and greens. A Charlie Jupiter Hamilton painting on steroids swirled in her brain. Its dots and demons flickered and sang about calming down tensions, like she could do that. She was never calm, she was a tight banjo string, always on edge though she tried not to show it. She wanted to be part of the forest, part of the trees, part of the breeze, part of the birdsong.