DRIFT

 

DRIFT     acrylic on wood panel by Candace Knapp
22 inches x 22 inches x 1 ½ inches   Photo Bjorn Andren

DRIFT

Beware the blue malaise,
the water element that lulls with ebb and flow.
Fingers of doubt caress and pull.
Am I good enough?
Should I even try?
Is it worth the trouble?    
imperceptibly...
sinking...
so tired...
Am I too old now?
...into a hole in the sea
where the sun cannot reach.
Rest
in the stillness
this darkest indigo blue
gradually
the wish appears
kindles
the spark of desire
the other sun
the inner fire  

                   

PICNIC

PICNIC     acrylic on canvas by Candace Knapp
17 inches  x 21 inches x 1 ½ inches     Photo Bjorn Andren 

PICNIC

It was a lovely day
naked mountains blue and hazy in the distance
and lord knows I hadn’t had a vacation in years
life had enclosed me in a small cardboard box
until my body grew old and stiff
I wasn’t ready for that yet
always wanted to go out West
drove for two days across Texas
on peanut butter sandwiches and Dr Peppers
serenaded by Willie Nelson and the Dixie Chicks
It was a dream come true
a vision quest
a journey I made by stopping
by the side of the road
sky so big I started to fall into it
had to close my eyes to find myself
car door open to a slight breeze
sun so warm I drifted into sleep
It was probably the heat but here I was
in a world all pink and cosy
a large bird was calling my name
leaves floated by
I was being watched by benevolent forces
orange sun stared at me
lovingly
I was a bubble of moisture on the hot desert floor
Is this the place the shamans talk about?
Something yellow and pleased came out from me
and I let it

RALPH

RALPH       wood mobile by Candace Knapp  
6 inches X 17 inches X 14 inches     Photo Bjorn Andren


RALPH

One thing you should know about me.
I like a good cigar
I mean a real Cuban cigar
I like to fly over to Ybor City on a Friday evening
when the fat cats and bankers are sitting outside at a sidewalk café
smoking Cubans and drinking rum.
I just go from one to the other getting whiffs of the good stuff.
Like, I’m small, they don’t notice me
but I tell you the flavor is intense.
There is a kind of cherry/cognac aftertaste
that stays with you for a long time
then
It’s on to the Cuban bakery on 15th street
to where the exhaust fan pours out those yeasty crusty flavors !
It’s heaven on earth !
I tell you,
I know how to have the good life !
Of course I had a great start.
I was born at the stables where the police horses stay.
It was a veritable symphony of smells and tastes.
Not everyone is so lucky.
I developed a discriminating nose at an early age.
We often went to Busch Gardens as a family.
That’s where you find the really exotic smells;
flamingos, iguanas, hyenas and meerkats.
Of course, there is nothing like a rhinoceros!
I feel an uneasy kinship, actually.
I mean, it’s like we are all one
and yet our smells are different.
I find that profound,
don’t you?

WINTER GARDEN

WINTER GARDEN  
graphite and pastel on prepared wood by Candace Knapp
80 inches x 44 inches   Photo Bjorn Andren

WINTER GARDEN

I was just standing here
I didn’t do anything wrong
the bird can tell you
she saw the whole thing
there was this sound
a kind of piercing icy blue wail
that shook us to the bone
and then the catchers came out
scooting around thither and yon
wildly
looking for someone who is guilty
someone is hurting
someone must be guilty
that’s what they think
but the truth is
we all droop our leaves in silent commiseration
it flows through our veins
when one is in pain we are all in pain
when one is dancing
we are all dancing