A PAIR OF TWO LOVERS
A couple of months ago in Malaysia, when I first saw this painting (which made news because this small painting was auctioned at Sotheby’s London for an estimate of £7m-£10m in early March), I was immediately captivated by the painting. I sat with it for a few weeks and now I realize why I was initially so drawn to it. Precisely because it depicted Grace and me in our “ripe” years, walking toward an unknown destination, supporting, and leaning on each other. In the original sketch, the unusually large sinking sun is right in front of them. However, the small painting leaves the viewers imagining where they are headed.
I imagine them
holding their unseen wrinkled and well-worn right hands together, man’s palmed up hand below his wife’s hand as if to dance their way,
conversing wordless as if not to plunder wonder and to degrade depth of intimacy,
unhurried while being content as if the world moves according to their beat,
walking between the soothing green pasture and steady living stream as if to reveal a secret of abundant feat,
traveling along the path that is familiar and yet unknown, as if to embrace unknowns in familiarity and familiarities in unknowns and unknowing,
looking into the same horizon, as if hope and faith are trustworthy, ever fulfilling,
being in union where they have been and where they are headed, as if their dis-unions have made them wiser and more loving.
I imagine us
growing old and walking together on a path called life because our given life is what we only and must know.
holding hands, leaning, and dancing because we can go longer and in greater knowing,
grappling the secret of being content and happy because ultimately God’s kindness is never floundering,
being in silent and standing in solidarity with each other and with the world because untimely words can be shallow and damaging and pain and joy too astonishing,
walking on a vast open rolling grass field with lots of unexplored side trails to ascertain because we have learned to trust our intuition and desires to determine,
drawing life from the Source of life, flanked by green nourishing rest and white flourishing water while facing the unmistakably large Sun because there would be no life of ours apart from the generous giving community of God the Father, the Holy Spirit, and the Son,
being in deeper union with ourselves, with each other, with otherness, and with God because there is no other worthy union and we have seen and tasted enough and ever-luring goodness in union to pursue still more of God.