On a Monday, a muse filled Monday,
a sky-blue clarity carries me
like the water would never the river
from the sea back to the source.
My footsteps are still steady,
still stepping up on the spiral,
but memory can be mischievous
and, on the turn, I twist
past that door, long since shut,
by the temple with its turret staircase
where saint Therese tittered on the timbers
and I wonder if the sunflowers
I once painted onto its lifeless walls,
before I uncovered Vincent’s darker visions,
are still visible beneath all the time
that has grown over it since I put them there
at 22?
This, I think of, here today,
at 44
while growing and ageing and twisting
and turning from the call of those crows
that try so hard to claw at creativity.
All words and photographs by Damien B Donnelly.
This month is about looking back in order to move on. An Irish girl named Therese (who introduced me to the music and magic of Joni Mitchell via her Casio keyboard) and I first lived in a little apartment at 98 rue Vieille du Temple, in Paris, in 1998 where I painted sunflowers on walls that never saw any sunlight. It was my first home in Paris and we had no idea at the time that crows were anything more than something to contrast the cotton candy clouds.
Damien B. Donnelly 
Sunflowers, crows, and memories–much to think about here, Damien.
Crows may symbolize darkness, but I’ve always thought they were cool. I’ve seen a few articles recently about how crows seem to mourn or at least recognize the death of other crows (they also recognize friends).
Maybe they just come to clear the canvas, a wing to wave goodbye before starting again. I like the idea that they recognize each other
I do, too.
Ooooh.. that big fluffy sunflower again. LOVE THAT SUNFLOWER !!!
She is a beaut
ps.. and I just realised you’d mentioned the ages of 22 and 44. I’ve just caught up with Nigel and we’re both now 55. Hahaha. I think there was something subconcious going on when I did a post just now titled “I’m still standing”. LOL. Still laughing anyway 🙂
Clearly we wisely avoided the twist of the 33’s. At least you both have no exccuse for forgetting each other’s age, you young lovies xx
I think crows always show up when you are not paying attention–at least they do for me. A reminder to not spend all my time inside my head. (K)