What I Wish I'd Said

She'd posted a picture on LiveJournal of her mother's old sewing machine, in the corner of a room, in the light of a window, with a few other furnishings. And what I wish I'd said was that I liked the picture, the composition of it. The way in which her mother’s old machine so perfectly fit, with the other pieces placed around it.

That I especially liked the color of the wood, the richness of it. That it had a certain warmth and looked comfortably aged, in the way of a pleasant wine. Which is why they worked together in the picture, the sewing machine, the chest of drawers, and the straight back chair.

That afterwards I'd thought about my mother’s old machine and its beautiful cabinet. How it really was so beautifully made, but with a very dark finish, a deep mahogany I think. Which is also a warm color, with its red pigmentation, but intensely dark.

That it then occurred to me that even warm colors, when mixed too dark, may allow the darkness to prevail over their warmth. Which is how I think my mother was.

That is what I wish I'd said, and then apologized for the darkness of it. And said that what I truly think of, after seeing the picture that she'd posted there, is the light coming through the window, by her mother‘s old machine, making the rich wood warm and very much alive…

LPK
LiveJournal
3.5.2012