Skeletons

I'm in the middle of watching this movie, Klimt and I was struck by a single vision: a skeleton in a classroom.

It reminded me of when I was in art school. There was a skeleton in the classroom, a whole one, obviously not plastic. I often looked at it, sometimes went to touch it. It was just a skeleton, but I was fascinated by it. I finally got up the courage to ask the teacher about it. "Oh, it's from India. That's usually where they come from."

It was very small, maybe just five feet high. I looked at it and really, really thought: this was a person. This was someone just like me who maybe had hopes and dreams and just wanted what I wanted. And now he/she was hanging from a hook in a cold classroom 7,000 miles away from his/her village . . . I felt very bad. I put him/her to rest, I really did, I told him/her, you're okay, at least there's one person thinking about you, so far from home.

When I'm gone, take me any which way, anywhere you want, hang me from a hook so you can draw me, it's all fine . . . just be sure and say goodbye nicely.