Collage Party

Collage party: Christina writes mysterious things in her notebook. Chris creates shields and magical talismans. Katherine makes seascapes and pagan palettes. I don't know what the hell Barbara's doing. Something with paint. I add a few pages to my little book, the one I've been working on for years. Christina laughs at my snail-like progress. Bob works in the other room while not napping. He produces a cunning miniature shadow box with a pine cone inside.

Everyone brings offerings to the Art Altar. Barbara donates a stack of neatly cut bookbinders' board. That stuff is great. Light yet sturdy, it holds up under paint, paste and varnish. She also donates a beautiful sheet of green and gold tissue paper decorated with Arabic script. Chris bequeaths us bottles of paint and assorted backing material. Everyone grabs the curved wood pieces shaped like artists' palettes and begins furiously working. Katherine furnishes us with a bowl of tangerines and some weird-looking rice cakes. Christina shows up with bags of black tea and pastel sugar candy. Bob organizes a giveaway desk filled with tschotskes. But I make the ultimate sacrifice, donating my own private stash of collage material to the group.

I do this out of remorse, to atone for the sin of throwing away material they wanted me to keep. Besides, since I'm stuck anyway, why not just surrender to a higher power?