The Lovers’ Chronicle 9 February – sketchin’ – art by Alberto Vargas

Dear Zazie, Here is today’s Lovers’ Chronicle from Mac Tag dedicated to his muse. Follow us on twitter @cowboycoleridge. Who are you sketchin’? Rhett

The Lovers’ Chronicle

Dear Muse,

draw the dream…
is this dream or real, hard to tell,
music comes on, a familiar tune;
”Hi-ho, Silver we were singing all your cowboy songs”
done this enough to proceed with confidence,
with steady hand, the right light, the right touch;
Picture this, the lovely redhead is sitting up in bed,
she is wearing a black nightgown, she is reading;
Hey baby, you coming to bed, she asks
yes bébé, hold on i have to git this right
And Steven has to finish the song, she says;
“Checkmate honey you the only who’s got to choose”
ok, dear, looks good i think i got it
Because we get to choose
”Where to draw the line”

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it seems an intro is needed 
though i cannot fathom

that was long ago
“You should go there”
oh if there were time enough
“You know we can”
well i get there with words
“Any outlet”
the act is what matters
“Whichever way”
i can get to
the curve of your hip
the look in your eyes
with lines or words
“I prefer when you
use your hands”

comin’ ‘round here leavin’ it all out there, just have to find the line, right where you left it, pick it up, firm steady hand, yes like that, in the shadin’ you will find what is necessary, been down this road once or twice before, this time securely fastened so there will not be a fall, all the sketches served as guides for not screwin’ it up, for gittin’ to where it just flows effortlessly, not too much thinkin’ just bein’ as the story unfolds across pages and time

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shall we try somethin’ new
in the amazin’ story of us

yes, just like that, hold it

to imagine
and work from there

the lines intensify

shade here
and there
express
impressions
only of one

what else matters,
this indispensable view

a dedication
forms a vision
of us

Pale Love, Pale Rider

reminded today
how it feels to live
for expression,
then have it taken away

to be without
a basic necessity
for bein’

for me it was nine years
for my friend, seven

a vow to you mon amie,
to always support
our creative needs
and to keep on writin’
sketchin’ and paintin’
this amazin’ story

tendency
always to imagine
and work from there

the lines
intensify
to bearable
sorrow

shade here
and there
express
impressions
only of one

and all that is left,
but better than nothin’
indispensable view

a dedication
forms a vision
of was

oh, it is all about
the eyes, the smile
and the hands

come be my canvas
and i will sketch for you
a love unlike anything
you have ever known

a shaky start
to be sure,
but gradually
the rhythm came back
and the strokes became strong
and bold again, the touch, still there

very pleased, that you made me
yearn to once again sketch

what one desires
not as easy as it seems
the product of dim early
mornin’s and late night dreamin’
who knows what causes it to happen

seems always too much or too little
a miracle of the first order
who could imagine…
from nothin’ness the pang

it should be quiet
so quiet you can hear…
listen, She is there
from nowhere comes
the pain of without

“He beats me
His trail seems
Terrible hard
To anticipate.”

Alberto vargas young.gif — in New York ca 1919

Today is the birthday of Alberto Vargas (Joaquin Alberto Vargas y Chávez; Arequipa, Peru 9 February 1896 – 30 December 1982 Los Angeles); painter of pin-up girls. He is often considered one of the most famous of the pin-up artists.

The death of his wife Anna Mae in 1974 left him devastated, and he stopped painting. Anna Mae had been his model and business manager, his muse in every way. The publication of his autobiography in 1978 renewed interest in his work and brought him partially out of his self-imposed retirement to do a few works, such as album covers for The Cars (Candy-O, 1979) and Bernadette Peters (Bernardette Peters, 1980; Now Playing, 1981). He died of a stroke on 30 December 1982, at the age of 86.

Notable women painted by Vargas include Olive Thomas, Billie Burke, Nita Naldi, Marilyn Miller, Marilyn Monroe, Paulette Goddard, Bernadette Peters, Irish McCalla and Ruth Etting.