Chapter 3: The Moment

An artist's mind is always wandering. Waiting for the right moment, I sit quietly drawing a person contemplating.

Where does one seek inspiration? Surroundings? People in one's life? My canvas had remained clean until I heard the song "River Flows in You." This song continues to flow in me. I repeated the song as I drew this person. This person is contemplating. Contemplating about worries? Why worry? Stop! This person's mind is filled with negative images that cannot be unveiled to others. The person tries to runaway from these images. This pain, this person just cannot control? So many things that cannot be said. Cannot help. Cannot say the reason for leaving. Until the person realized the pictures have already occurred, everything was too late. The person awaits punishment and readily accepts it. Has everything gone? Yes. This person believes it has. Wanted to explain. No courage. Will the person be accepted again? Afraid to know the answer is no. This Gift, should I embrace it or detest it? I will not answer. I will never go against natural causes anymore. Even so, I am not going to stop drawing.

It is late now. I am thinking time will heal the wounds caused. They were never meant to be created. I will await with a forgiving heart and will let this river continue to flow in me. I hear water streaming along with nature's force. Never ending. Never ending. I will let all the darkness fade away from my mind and be a light to the people around me.

1001 Nights

She always withdraws from communicating with others.

She waits from sunset until dawn.

In loneliness, autumn comes, spring goes.

Promises once made fly away into emptiness.

The person in her dream still hasn't returned.

1001 nights...

Not one night did she not think of him.

Every thought is overtaken by non-paired butterflies.

1001 nights...

Not one night did she not tear...

All the tears storming inside her heart have frozen.

That night the rain poured heavily.

The petals in the garden all fell.

Those golden chrysanthemum were planted for her.

Everyone tells her to let go.

But she will just smile back at you,

At the heart of her palm are all her memories.

1001 nights...

Every night I see her missing him.

Who is the one causing so much worry on her face?

1001 nights...

Every night I hear her tear.

I don't know how I could come to comfort her.

Let me start from tonight, stand by her, and softly sing

a warm melody for her.

After the flower blossoms......

I'm beginning another story. This is just the prelude.
Title: (To be determined)


What kind of key can lock a promise forever?

What kind of song can be sung forever?

After many many years later, when white hair becomes visible to the eye, will you still remember the promise that we'll forever know each other?

If I do want a forever, how many years can you give me?

After the flower blossoms, how long would it take for its petals to fall?

How far do the birds have to fly, so that we no longer can see them?

If young age lasts only one blink of eye, when do the loved ones have to leave each other?

We are all looking for a spring that will last forever.

We are all hoping for an everlasting promise.

But a beautiful dream can easily shatter.

Loved ones can easily languish

And eventually face each other with tears...

Chapter 2: This Night

This Night I sat down to draw again. Nothing came. I really wanted to do the drawing. I wanted to draw a landscape with butterflies. I promised a friend I would do this one for her.

No more ink. This pen, emptied of ink, suddenly reminded me of my desolate heart. I am sitting here in this very dark room. I have music on. I began to fight with my inner-self again. What is happening to my hand? Why can I not draw? I fell asleep. I seemed to have slept for a very long time.

simple

I wonder why it is so hard for me to think simple and write simple. I think my brain is filled with too much unnecessary junk that needs to be deleted with the computer keyboard delete button. UGH!

Book

I would like to read a new and interesting book. Any recommendations? A book that is inspirational and easy to read.

The Artist from Suzhou, China

Setting: End of War War II China, Inner China-Suzhou,


Between water and clouds situates the home of an artist named Han Yu. He sees himself living with nature, not people. This home he lives in is located on the outskirts of a beautiful city in Suzhou, China. A small simple home constructed with wood. Inside the home contains all his canvases of landscapes of places he has traveled to on his bike.

The other day Han Yu was sitting gazing at the distant mountains painting. It was a cloudy day. No sign of any sunlight. A thunderstorm suddenly roared. So reveled in his painting, Han Yu was not a least bit disturbed by the unpleasant sounds of nature. When the first raindrops dripped on his artwork, he was suddenly awakened from painting. He quickly grabbed his canvas and easel and threw all his art tools into his bag. He threw the bag around and across his shoulders and tied his canvas and easel to the back of his bike. Grabbing on to the front handles of his bike, he threw his right leg over the seat, had both feet firm on both pedals, and rode away to find the nearest tea shop to seek shelter from the rain.

As he rode quickly without caring what was ahead of him, he suddenly saw an oncoming bike, also riding hastily. Too late. Both bikes collided. As Han Yu got up to help the other cyclist, he realized he had bumped into a lady. As he held the lady carefully with his arms,........


(I need help with continuing this story that is going nowhere. Still need to describe the kind of clothing Chinese people wore around mid 1940s.)