When I think about art connecting two lovers, the famous 2010 MOMA performance of Marina Abramovic and Ulay comes to mind. It is simple. They look into each other’s eyes and suddenly, their bittersweet past is there for all to see – an eruption of emotions through tears and hesitant smiles.
While no Abramovic, I too have art and lovers entwined. Heartbreak is made bearable when one coats it in painting and prose. A calmer, older version of me goes back to those lost loves without anger or shame. This is what happens with age I guess.
There was the man with whom I witnessed Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrors. Awed, we looked at each other and knew that we would always remember the moment. Since we were not dating exclusively, I asked him not to share it with anyone else. He obliged.
I broke up with someone in Mae Hong Son, Thailand; where the dew on the rice paddies mirrored the tears I shed. As the breakup happened, I recalled the things we did together as I do now. It included some of the most stunning images I continue to cherish today – laughing as I was attacked by monkeys at Angkor Wat and then backpacking through south west China to bear witness to its relatively unknown but exquisite landscape and architecture. I still recall the pain in my chest as we said goodbye, but I don’t feel it anymore. There is only gratitude and goodwill for the man who loved me enough to say farewell in such a beautiful place.
There are those whom I wrote poetry with. With others, there were only brief moments. Still some, passion that we chose not to act upon, long forgotten. While I will not write about them here, I smile in remembrance.
I recall those people and memories without any negativity. It was what it was.
This is a thank you, to you, person I once loved. Thank you for helping me grow.
[Photo courtesy of the Broad Art Foundation]
Midlife Space 
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