Odysseus

I recently disinterred this drawing and was surprised to find I drew it almost a quarter of a century ago. It certainly doesn't feel that long ago. Well, as the saying goes, time flies! And that's the reason I'm posting it now: because one of the ideas behind this piece happens to be the passing of time, alluded to here by the twenty years it took Odysseus to return to his native shore. Although I doubt I'd draw an image similar to this today, its haunting theme of the irretrievable passing of cascading time, be it twenty adventurous years away from home or almost twenty-five years of a quiet life, still occasionally whispers from more recent drawings. Or maybe drawings such as this one only goes to show that, as my overworked friendly neighborhood horologist used to say, I have way too much time on my hands.

Yet Another One

Just to be nice, because I certainly didn't want to, I accompanied Odysseus that night to the old cemetery (you know the one I mean). He had poured the blood into the bowl and seemed to be mumbling some incantation over it when he suddenly cried out, "Oops! I just remembered I'm supposed to go with Penelope tonight to a PTA meeting! Be a pal and take over, will ya?" And with that he ran pell-mell into the darkness. Cursing myself for allowing him to trick me again, I sat on a damp clump of earth and watched the specters rise from their graves. Sniffing the air, they formed a thick haze around the blood and me. I must admit that even though I was greatly annoyed by Odysseus' prank, I was nevertheless even more greatly charmed by the way the ghosts' shambling and gossamer forms intermingled with the moonlight, giving the illusion that both the pale lunar light and the thirsting dead were locked in some sad and slow and stately dance.  I couldn't help but smile.