**STARLING STUDIO**

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

The Muse as.....Maria

As I walked up to the counter of a small convenience store in New Jersey with my conveniently plastic coated, price bloated and Bar Coded articles, items and "food products", I was thinking how the girl happily dispensing assorted poisons, small chances at large fortunes and priceless pearls of wisdom to faceless hearts and heartless faces, had a great look and an interesting style (and somehow, something else I couldn't quite put my finger on.....The burnt brown and yellow sound of the sun scorching the African plain, the scent of a leopard in heat?). For some reason, sensing that I only had the normal 20 seconds to get her to notice and remember me among the hundreds of encounters she must have every day, i thought to myself, "what can I say that doesn't sound like a stupid pickup line from some B grade movie or something so obtuse and intellectual that I sound like a deranged college professor that just escaped from Princeton and needs help finding my pipe and tobacco. Wlith about 5 seconds left till my chance, i'm thinking " Maybe Its okay, just be yourself, you can't fool this one anyway"
But wait, which self? The aging Hippie? The proud yet sensitive artist? The manly boy/girl? The loner who really just wants to not be alone? The regular guy with no issues that have to be deposited on some unsuspecting person who's just trying to help me find my pipe and tobacco?
Whoa, why do I want so much for her to see and remember me anyway? She's just another pretty girl doing a hard job in this store, probably just to help her family, not trying to meet another guy who wants to fall into her life and heart or be a drive up therapist for a lot of needy people who probably won't get it anyway.
Ok, I'm just going to relax and tell her she looks really nice and that I like her style and leave and get back to my elusive Grail Quest life.
As I look up into eyes like dark Sunstone hearts, she says....."Well Hello," you look really good., I like your style," "My name is Maria, are you single?"
As a sweet brown fog starts to settle in around us like a scene in a modern Shakespearian musical by Leonard Bernstein, I stammer "Uuh, uuh, I.. I'll be back" She says
"I hope so".

Maria, I just met a girl named Maria
..and suddenly that name will never be the same....................