For one wonderfully sweet and lovely woman I know, I struggled to decide what to give her for a token of my respect and affection on her birthday. Then, because she is a superb singer and I, an admirer of her glorious singing, I decided to write her the lyric text for what might—with a composer’s help—become her own sort of theme song someday. For now, it’s simply Bea’s own poem. She said I could share it with you.
For a Lady of Great Beauty
For the song, bouquets of roses
For the day, a joyful start
For the labor, peaceful evenings
For the care, I give my heart—
For the wisdom, inspiration
For desire, a glorious year
For the wish, the starry heavens
For delight, companions dear—
For the sorrows, deepest comfort
For the friendships, never part—
For the moment that I met you,
You resided in my heart.
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And since it’s her favorite of my other poems (so far, I hope), I’ll repost the following one. For good measure.
Art-Colored Glasses 
What beautiful color-transition, Kathryn! Is that watercolor? I love the line-work – is that ink? What a loving person she must be and what a wonderful friend you are!
She *is* a tremendously loving person, and easy to be friends with as a result!
The illustration is digital. It began with a *very* different [black-and-white] pencil drawing, over which I “drew and painted” so many layers of digital stuff that I doubt anyone would recognize the bottom layer of it all. The color blends were done primarily with tools that replicate airbrushing and watercolor brushwork, and the line tools mainly various pencil textures and pen-and-ink ones. I think I put the drawing through about a dozen states that I saved and restarted between the first graphite version and the one I published. It’s not a real portrait of my friend, but I hope reflects something of her inner beauty at least. 🙂
xoxo