speaking for herself

i'm constantly reminded
how important it is to see and celebrate
the beauty and success* of other people,
specifically women.

* success is a widely defined and variably understood concept.
i think it's subsequently turned into a dangerous word to use.
when i use it here i mean someone doing what she was born to do,
whether she makes money on it or not,
whether she's the best in the world at it or not.

i've been compiling things i love and cataloging them here.
seeing some of the things galloping through jillian's shop lately,
noting how they make my heart jump,
it only makes sense i'd share them too.

although jillian is usually anything but quiet,
i've been gleaning simple, arresting pauses in her work lately,
like a deep sigh after the longest day
or the settling that comes after you've seen something you know
you could never describe, so you fold it into your muscles and memory
only to be recalled by a specific touch, one measure of a song you'll hear
on a cloudy day seven years from now.
like her self portraits: she's usually in the middle of a stream of action
(running, hammering, puppying, swimming, bicycling)
but you always feel the infinitesimal pause of breath in the one captured moment,
all her kineticism (made-up word) suspended forever.

so, words and metaphors aside,
these are the pieces i've really loved.
all metal, artistry, and photographs by jillian.

i shine a light on her not for flattery's sake,
but because i truly love her work and moreso,
her person. what she produces materially is incredible,
but the soul beneath the feathers and the Love that spurs her on
is a part of who i am now. i have seen it and been changed.
there's a lot in life that claws at us, and i'm finally beginning to learn
that you never fully escape the clambering dark.
that the only thing keeping me from being swallowed
is the vastness above, and its often-almost-imperceptible glimmer
of galaxies, kindred spirits, and stars.