In the Museums‪.‬

FROM these paintings I learn that the people who live among the palm trees are unhappy. What a curious message to receive at Christmas time, when luxurious renderings of tropical plants make me envious of simple clothing and sunny skies. And in London, too, far from the unhappiness. But maybe the message isn't for me: am I intruding on a private conversation? Did Rivera, when he painted the lady burdened by lilies, have in mind a particular government official he blamed for such injustices? Was Rivera speaking to him? But they're all dead now, Rivera dead, the official dead, the lady dead, the lilies dead, and here am I speculating about how long after I'm dead the painting will go on delivering its message to other transients through the world. When I was studying how to be normal, I paid attention to what people casually mentioned doing, like going to the cottage or shopping for bargain groceries, not the things they talked about directly, but the things they took for granted. That was the key to what life should be. I learned from this that people go to museums.