Lena shared her desk with another girl named Lena and one day I will paint a picture called, “I Never Met a Lena that I Didn’t Like.” I will capture them in spring, sitting in the desk in front of the teacher’s, hiding behind a vase full of lilacs and the picture will be so lush you will want to walk up to it, let it run through your fingers like warm sand, press your nose close to it to smell the heavy dreamy scent of the purple flowers and try to catch the faint taste of spring in Zahorie coming through the window from behind the two Lenas and into your nose, passing across your tongue where it inexplicably tastes “green” and cool like well water and buzzes in your head sunshine thick and all of this will work over you until you want to stand close to the painting and lick it, afraid that may have missed something.
