Plein Air (An Experiment in Projected Perspective)

You told her you liked Padero at sunrise, so when she came at 6:27 AM with coffee, it came as no surprise to you. You held her in your gaze for a moment before you looked away and told her to be silent, for the sun only rose one time each day; you did not want to miss it.

“You create things… with your hands,” she mused from over your shoulder.

You continued to paint.

“Too bad you always kill them with your words.”

Silence.

She touched your shoulder and you shrugged her away. This moment, these moments, you’d made a promise never to share with anyone else.

As the sun crept closer to the midday sky, you turned on the footstool to face her. There she sat, wide-eyed and perfect, and you almost looked away again. The sun had transformed her and in that moment, you forgot who was standing in front of you. You took her behind the canyon and made love to her the way you did when you were younger.

When the sun sank behind the mountains, the shadows cast the girl in unfortunate light. You took her home and fucked her and as you lay in bed staring up at the ceiling she asked you, “Why don’t you want to paint me?”

You sucked on your cigarette and considered the question.

Silence.

She stroked your hair as you fell asleep, and as you drifted away you dreamt about her. The canyons were empty, the beaches were vast and with just the two of you there, you decided you could paint just about anything. So you did. And then you painted the shadows that replaced her.

The intruder woke you up.

“Baby it’s time to get ready.”

Silence.

She kissed you on your forehead and as you turned to sit up, your skull bumped into her mouth, and her teeth cut into her lips. She put her hand against her mouth and turned away, bleeding.

You stared at her in silence then headed to the beach. You had missed the sunrise anyway, so you decided to pick a different beach. This time she didn’t come. This time you waited until sunset. And then you started to paint.

You told her you had a problem with commitment, so when she left, it came as no surprise to you. And as you saw her stolen away, you picked another girl. And when she chased you to the beach, you only pictured her.