Birthday Raja, 12 Sept. 2000.

watercolour of us 7 years later.
This letter was sent to me in an email.

Harper of the wistful years
I wish you many things at once
and here are some examples
I could think up several more
but these are only samples.

May your carefully chosen date of birth
be filled with ample joy and mirth
may all things exuberant
and all feelings exultant
cling to your manic knees
may all the answers you seek
unravel like a breeze.

May all the seasons in the sun
be at your disposal
so you could choose the sky's colour
without writing a proposal.

All the perfect piano's in the world
would walk up to your door
you could take your keenest pick
and still sort out some more.

I'd sanction you a private moon
to hang atop your roof
where you could go and perch at nights
in serenity aloof
and write inane banterings
for your dreamer's eyes
scratching the midnight canvas
with your lunar lies.

May your art communicate
like the nocturne in E flat
may your ideas reverberate
(gently illuminate)
the surrounding time and space.
Touching everyone who sees them
with your beauty and grace.

I wish you a sketchbook
that's made up of light
that glows a little
with images bright
it moves at the speed of 24 frames
and plays with sight it's optical games.
May you fill it with the life
of your restless mind
its one sketchbook
that does not bind.

I wish you many clothes
and material things
at the very least a block print shirt
that a courier will bring.

I wish you a water pistol
of your experienced choice
and a musical audience
that goes with your voice.

I wish you sex and sabbath
on alternate days
and wish you exploration
of nature and her ways,
be connoisseur of food
and be exposed to many wines
and when your sufficiently above the ground
then write me random line.

I wish you miscellaneous desires
but most of all I wish you could hire
a speedboat to cross the tranquil seas
and to ride the atlantic breeze
so you could be here for a little while
and we could count the stolen miles.

Love,
Madeleine