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Douglas Morris, "Fraidy
Cat", 2001.
Acrylic and gold leaf on
canvas, 60"x40"
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Douglas K. Morris
Three months after my lover’s death I
sat in our doctor’s office getting a prescription for
tranquilizers. The doctor told me, “Ya know Doug I can’t
write another script for you. You will eventually have to work
through this.” Stepping out his office door and on to the
cobblestone streets of “Old Port” Portland, Maine, I
remember thinking, “Gosh, these must be close to two hundred
years old and they are still here.” Covered with the ice from
the last storm, they were beautifully uneven and difficult to walk over.
Arriving home to our cottage in the woods I
sat gazing at the blue sculptured carpet, it looked very much like
the streets of Old Port. There was a knock at the door and my
neighbor poked her head in. “Hey Douglas, do you have my large
cooking pot? Remember, I brought it over the night of the memorial
service?” “Oh Yeah”, I said, walking into the kitchen
and pulling it out of the refrigerator. Opening it we saw what was
once food. “I’m sorry, let me clean this out.” Pulling
her nose and head back with a jerk she blurted out, “You need to
get over it!” I felt a knot in my throat and anger rising in my belly.
Six years and three thousand miles later I
still find myself trying to get over it. Each day it becomes a bit
easier to make a meal for one, to plan a weekend trip for one, or to
make the bed for one. “Getting over it” has been like the
streets of Old Port, uneven and slippery. Recovery (getting over it)
is the reason I show my art and soul here today.
Hopefully through this collaborative effort,
we as artists can convey, to those who have not loved and lost, the
amazing story of recovery from grief and loss, and lend support and
validation to anyone who has.
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