Across the Room
I took my seat in a pew that ran along the wall of Christ Church in Oxford, UK. Loved the feel of the place, the organ playing magisterially, the pristine voices of the boys’ choir, the lovely British accent of the parish priest, the liturgy, the stand-up-kneel-down routine.
From across the room in the pews facing me, this guy is looking at me. Our eyes meet. Everything else fades into the background for a moment in time—some energy, some spark, some chemistry.
Across the room story lines . . .
The stranger becomes your life companion. Lots of movies around this theme.
Or you are already committed and need to proceed with caution. Tempting but no! Less movies on this theme of prudence.
Or the person is a scoundrel, deceptive, and devious: sweet in the mouth, bitter in the stomach.
The Anyi of Côte d'Ivoire had a whole set of folk tales published together under the title “If your family proposes a husband to you, don’t refuse.” Tale after tale of the tall handsome stranger who comes to the village. No one knows his family or where he came from, but he is super smooth and the young lady is smitten and goes off with him, only to find he's a python in disguise who gobbles her up, or some such. It happens universally.
The Christ Church experience is no more than a micro-memory, which ended no doubt with the priest saying, “Let us go forth in peace to love and serve the Lord,” and the congregation responding, “Alleluia, Alleluia.”
I took my seat in a pew that ran along the wall of Christ Church in Oxford, UK. Loved the feel of the place, the organ playing magisterially, the pristine voices of the boys’ choir, the lovely British accent of the parish priest, the liturgy, the stand-up-kneel-down routine.
From across the room in the pews facing me, this guy is looking at me. Our eyes meet. Everything else fades into the background for a moment in time—some energy, some spark, some chemistry.
Across the room story lines . . .
The stranger becomes your life companion. Lots of movies around this theme.
Or you are already committed and need to proceed with caution. Tempting but no! Less movies on this theme of prudence.
Or the person is a scoundrel, deceptive, and devious: sweet in the mouth, bitter in the stomach.
The Anyi of Côte d'Ivoire had a whole set of folk tales published together under the title “If your family proposes a husband to you, don’t refuse.” Tale after tale of the tall handsome stranger who comes to the village. No one knows his family or where he came from, but he is super smooth and the young lady is smitten and goes off with him, only to find he's a python in disguise who gobbles her up, or some such. It happens universally.
The Christ Church experience is no more than a micro-memory, which ended no doubt with the priest saying, “Let us go forth in peace to love and serve the Lord,” and the congregation responding, “Alleluia, Alleluia.”
I took my seat in a pew that ran along the wall of Christ Church in Oxford, UK. Loved the feel of the place, the organ playing magisterially, the pristine voices of the boys’ choir, the lovely British accent of the parish priest, the liturgy, the stand-up-kneel-down routine.
From across the room in the pews facing me, this guy is looking at me. Our eyes meet. Everything else fades into the background for a moment in time—some energy, some spark, some chemistry.
Across the room story lines . . .
The stranger becomes your life companion. Lots of movies around this theme.
Or you are already committed and need to proceed with caution. Tempting but no! Less movies on this theme of prudence.
Or the person is a scoundrel, deceptive, and devious: sweet in the mouth, bitter in the stomach.
The Anyi of Côte d'Ivoire had a whole set of folk tales published together under the title “If your family proposes a husband to you, don’t refuse.” Tale after tale of the tall handsome stranger who comes to the village. No one knows his family or where he came from, but he is super smooth and the young lady is smitten and goes off with him, only to find he's a python in disguise who gobbles her up, or some such. It happens universally.
The Christ Church experience is no more than a micro-memory, which ended no doubt with the priest saying, “Let us go forth in peace to love and serve the Lord,” and the congregation responding, “Alleluia, Alleluia.”
8 x 8” oil on wood panel. Framed size, 9 1/2 x 9 1/2 x 1”.