breathing

in·spi·ra·tion (nsp-rshn) n.
The inhalation of air into the lungs.

Last week I visited a young fashion designer in her studio on Broome Street. She had a wall there, an inspiration wall--a sounding board, she called it--that reminded me of the different collages I used to make. I had one on the wall of my room when I was in high school, I covered the door of my dorm sophomore year in college, the apartment on Waverly had one, and so did the office in the first place on 105th Street. The designer's was similar in content to what I've created in the past. Photos of draped rooms in Morocco, the Klimt kiss, pieces of fabric, stark black and white images of Mediterranean cafes, a shot of a bare-breasted Bohemian artist type in flowing dress and beads...

I would like a wall. I'd like to reclaim that. It's been a difficult day. That's what I've come up with to make it better. A collage on a wall. Some fresh air in the lungs.