An Old Indian Woman Who Speaks No English( ArtSparkle-part Gujarati)

lost her sparkle at seventeen. Her husband threw her art against a wall and pointed to his many siblings who needed looking after

Sunita did it well. 

a walking stick roams a gallery- by a light blue harbour, beside golden sand. The determined Rat tat tat tat wakes a lonely art group… swaying elderly traditional clothing sends messages

I like the sweep of the bridge in this….pointing to the John Olsen

I was as beautiful as that. The Rah Fizelle

in Manly Art Gallery. Sunita does it well

And look at this one she utters to her son. You see how the purple is, to lead the eye into infinity………." Ketlu saru kam che" she says in Gujarati…"what beautiful strokes". This is the Ralph Balson. "Gulabi ketlu Nache che" - "pink dancing strongly", "safed jane bole che"- "the white almost talking", "lilu chupai ne bethu che"- green hides and sits, "shu light blue joyu"- did you see the light blue."Ane soneri jaane swarg no darvajo"- and the gold like a door to paradise

…

Sunita sits down for

perhaps a thousand long breaths/sighs, a thousand memories, a thousand tears, a thousand imagined strokes of paint, a life missed, of no regret, of many religious chants, a thousand perfectly shaped chapatis…and delicate aromas of crackling mustard seeds 

"stillness red

touch orange awareness yellow hearts green

words light blue sounds indigo blue presence navy blue holiness pink pink

truth gold the wonder of purple sparkle gold

white quiet"

an air-bubble critique in Gujarati surfaces.

Sunita sparkles well

leaving eventually a repose of a second, a second's recognition, a second of happiness, a second of remembrance with a glance back to the Ralph Balson on her departure rat tat tat tat 

Years later her son walks past the John Olsen noting the curves of the bridge, past the beauty of the woman in the Rah Fizelle and sits with his walking stick opposite the Ralph Balson by the light blue harbour near golden sand 

white quiet, gold sparkle, purple wonder, gold truth, pink holiness, navy blue presence, indigo blue sounds, light blue words, green hearts, yellow awareness, orange touch and red stillness know him

He wonders how Sunita is in Heaven. Whether she sparkles?

red orange yellow green light blue indigo blue navy blue pink gold purple gold white black sparkle

The painting Sunita talks about ......by Ralph Balson ( Collection of Manly Art Gallery, NSW)