Do you remember The Fairy by Charles Perrault?
It’s a story of a girl who, despite her hardships, keeps a kind heart.
A fairy appears and grants her a gift,
whenever she speaks, flowers and jewels fall from her mouth.
As a child, I wondered, “But how would she talk during meals?”
That silly question made the story stay with me for years.
Now, as an adult, I think of the many people
who quietly hold their place in the world, shedding unseen tears.
I wish their tears would return, like the fairy’s gift,
as something beautiful someday.
For those who stand at the edges of the world,
yet never lose themselves
may my paintings reach you.