freewrite (for jean-michel)

watching basquiat
draw his crown
wishing he'd smile more
but knowing why he doesn't.

he's always intrigued me:
his beauty
his youth
those impossibly perfect bloodlines...
black lands, rich ports
colonial perfumes, afrikan spirits
retro euro original man mashup.

drugs didn't really kill him
brilliant blackness in america did.

my favorite painting

 

Frida Kahlo (Mexican, 1907-1954). The Broken Column, 1944.
Oil on canvas. 15 11/16 x 12 in. (40 x 30.5 cm).
Collection Museo Dolores Olmedo Patiño, Mexico City.