Joe
I should be calling this
An Artist in his Residence
As I spend a great deal
In my Southern Studio
The light is so rich
Here in Southern France
Rather like you
I have a very flexible arrangement
With Stevie and her four sisters
And it makes me very happy
I sometimes wake up
In my room with the sun streaming
And know that I am a content man
I am satisfied with my life
In view of this I starting a portrait
Which is quite rare for me
They do fetch such high values
But this portrait is different
As its subject is a unfortunate girl from Alsace
Who was born without proper arms
And to make things worse has lost her sight
And she is not even twenty five years of age
I hope and it is hoped that she might go to the US
So that she may be treated for her loss of sight
There are some wonderful people out there
This will cost a fucking fortune if you get my drift
Nobody knows about this and I want it to stay that way
And believe it or not I feel good about myself
Even the locals think that I am a typical artist
Colourful paintings naked girls joie de vivre
I was just a lucky man
Who was in the right place
At the right time
Most of my paintings are colourful
And this caresses the eye and so on
There are many artists unknown
Who are far more talented that I am
I am a product that it all
But it pays well very well
I like to think I am liked by the locals
I do not buy their affections
But I contribute
That is all
Sometimes journalists show up
Expecting to find an Artistic Babylon
But they leave disappointed
As my life resembles that of the artist
Portrayed in La Belle Noiseuse
Although free it has a heartbeat
Every family has a heartbeat
It is so ordinary that my birthday was missed
It was forgotten
And then I found a beautiful
China Doll
On my table
She is exquisite
I am in love with her already
As you know I collect dolls
I have since I was a child
They just please me
Stevie and her sisters
Normally name my dolls
But I have decided to name this doll
Today she is Christine
Yesterday she was Sissy
Tomorrow she will be Eva
By the end of the year
She will have 365 names
And I will not stop there
As you might have guessed
This is an art installation
I am doing this to make people think
About their identify and who they are
As I do not really know who I am
You do not really know who you are
Nobody fucking knows
Look after yourself Joe
And yes I read all your poems
They just blow me away
If you were an artist
Well you know what I am going to say
I will visit you and your haunting sister
When I am next in London
You know where I love and live my friend
Terry x