Left at the Alter

“Oh, I don’t smoke like that.” I said, reaching for the weed to place it back.

“Come on. Let’s create. I have some materials in my car. This is a beautiful energy that we are in right now. Let’s create.” 

I let go of the glass jar. He took a little of the weed to place into the bowl and handed it to me to hit first. I reluctantly agreed and led him back into the small closet. I don’t smoke in there – don’t want the smoke to interfere with my art or the walls.

We locked up the room and went into the studio with all of our supplies. Jeremy had photographs and different textured items that he uses to create his art. I had no idea, but he informed me that this was just a hobby for him.  

“How often do you do this? I asked him when we were back in action again. 

“Shit…last time was probably about five years ago.”

“You shouldn’t stop. Your vision is unique, you’re a dope ass artist.” 

“I’m really great in anything I do, it’s crazy.” He joked while securing a piece of foil to the edges of the piece. 

“Shut up, Ass!” I laughed and hit the bowl again. 

“Who is your favorite sculptor?”

“Never thought about it.”

“Come on, for me this is just a hobby, but this is who you are. You are a sculptor. The first I ever met.” He passed me the bowl back and said, “You might be my favorite.”

Hearing someone speak those words took my heart away. 

I nodded. 

“I am a sculptor.” I said out loud. “Who are you?”

“You are beautiful.”

“Um. Ok. Thank you, I mean.”

“I have an eye for beauty…” He stared at me, watched as my breath got stuck in my throat. “and a real talent for capturing it so… I am a photographer. But it was easier to make construction take off so I’m in this world until my art takes off like yours.”

 “And your favorite photo?”

 “I don’t have one yet, but I took some dope ones tonight. Maybe one of those will end up being my favorite.” He winked. We sat in silence for a while, just working. 

“There is this one, by Zadok Ben-David. Its called looking back. It is a huge person that must have been constructed using wire or something because you can see straight through it and it is looking back or looking down rather, at a much smaller sculpture. I don’t know if the person is meant to be an old version of himself or herself much smaller and not as interesting…” I allowed my voice to trail off. 

 “Do you have a picture of it.” He snapped me out of my thoughts. 

“No, I have never even seen it in person. I am going to go though, maybe next year when things die down. Get this, the sculptor park is named Cass Sculptor Park.”

“You high!” He laughed. I laughed with him a while and then told him that I was serious. We looked it up and marveled over the artwork on display. We talked about what the different pieces meant to us. Some pieces we were spot on and some we were worlds away with how they made us each feel. 

Every time we tried to clean up, we added something to this huge collage of items. We worked until my alarm was going off telling me it was time to wake up. I also had a missed call and text from Eli. His message was sweet:

<Sending you all the positive vibes and you made this shit happen vibes, or whatever yall be saying. Love u babe. Call me when you wake up. >

“Yup, we need to get the hell outta here.” I began cleaning everything up while Jeremy laughed at me. 

 “Nope, not kidding. When the hell did it turn into morning. This doesn’t even look good.”

“You are so hard on yourself.” He stood up and moved some of my hair out of my face and gazed into my eyes. “Your human and you’re a good person. You deserve to have what you want.” 

 “Um, not following. I have what I want.”

He walked closer and closer to me until his lips were about to touch mine and I stood statue still about to let the shit happen. When I was sure he was about to do it, I inhaled in preparation. 

Jeremy parted his lips and said ““Never…Mind.” He grazed my bottom lip when he walked away and the fire that it began inside of me was going to take some serious maintenance to put out. 

---

It wasn’t customary to do an unveiling at 8:00PM but my pleads had been heard and here we were. I pitched for the tarp to be removed right as the ceremony was beginning but it didn’t work out logistically. When I arrived, everyone was already marveling over her.

The top of her boot planted in the ground came up to my mid-thigh. The other was in the air to give the impression that she was running, and my signature was etched deep into the bottom of her raised shoe. There were sprouts of fake grass all around it. Into the cement we had placed a few tiles that would be lit up at night until the park closes, I believe. There were four of them each with a different quote. 

She is reaching with her arm in the air and her gold bangle bracelets resting in the bend of her elbow, for the books that appear to be flying just out of reach.

“I believe that too often we have to face the narrative on how many children do not have access to what they need to learn. This particular piece focuses on literacy and how it should be,” I paused and looked around before continuing, “Easily obtainable.”

I walked over to the lit up rectangular tiles and when the applause died down some, I read from the tile lit up in red first. 

“This one says ‘Now go and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious mistakes. Break rules leave the world more interesting for you being here. Make good art’.”