The patients settle in for a reclusive picnic in the park. It was far enough from the public for them to indulge in a little treat. The oil of french fries swim through delicate hydrangeas. Under geriatric care, these patients revel in the occasional unhealthy indulgence of a McDonald’s combo meal. Suddenly, a woman in the group stands and slowly walks to one of Mang Demi’s sculptures. She makes a direct line to the red faced man with long black hair reading what appears to be a book. His roughened, bearded face, wide set nose, and a pair of bags under his crescent shaped eyes suggest wisdom, old age, and benevolent power. He is carved out of the wide base of a Monterey cypress tree with the thickened roots spreading out from the trunk to support such greatness. His beard trails below the pages and follows the flow of the roots down to the ground. His upper body is the tightly wound contortions of the tree trunk as he holds a book closely to his chest. His eyes 6 feet above the ground gaze at the pages of the book. He seems to be a storyteller, a seer, embedded with knowledge beyond our own capacities. The woman walks up to him, as if ready to receive his words. Though at 6’3 she loomed over the statue, she came down on her knees and draped herself at its feet. (Full essay coming soon)
