MoMA

Arriving at the museum two hours
before they closed on a Saturday night
was less than ideal. It was jammed packed
with people who loved to stand right
in the middle of doorways or breathe
too closely on the paintings.
I had no other choice, I was only
in the city for 48 hours.
This was the only time I could go.
I squeezed by groups of people
from other counties and parents
trying their hardest to entertain
their tired children. The MoMA,
my favorite museum.
I love the galleries on the 4th
and 5th floors, I could wander
around all day if I had the time.
But the clock was ticking and a
weather warning for an impending
storm sped my pace. I wanted to
meditate in from of Monet's Water Lilies
and admire Frida Kahlo's work.
I was on a mission to find these
artworks first, everything else
could be seen after.
I found Monet's paintings
in a cold crowded room in a corner
of the 5th floor gallery.
The happiness was bursting
from me when I saw it from
the corner of my eye.
I found a seat and admired
the painting. The texture from
his brush soothes my soul
in an unexplainable way.
Sitting there, I realized
there are two types of people
at a museum -- the ones who admire
the art and the ones who photograph
the art. I had spent the previous
25 minutes photographing paintings
that captured my attention as
I rushed by them. I must have looked
like a mad woman. But I didn't care,
I was in front of the painting I wanted
to see. A painting that somehow calms
me down the more I look at it. Except,
the small room it was in kept on
crowding in. I am not usually
one to feel claustrophobic
but the air felt heavy
in such a cold room due
to the number of bodies.
The painting takes up three
walls and there was always
someone trying to get a photo.
I snapped a few myself before
sitting in another seat, thinking
a different angle would help
my discomfort. I sat near the
entrance where people crowded.
Restlessness took over and too
soon I was off to find Frida's work.
After some more wandering, I found
a painting I was familiar with.
Frida sitting in a chair
with a shaved head,
long hair covering the floor
and music notes above her.
I smile. This was the painting
printed on my first ticket
to the MoMA back in 2017.
Good memories inhabit
this painting for me.
I feel at ease as my urgency
faded. I saw what I needed to
see. I wandered the gallery
at a slower pace. Seeing more
familiar works that had always
been here mixed in with new pieces
that had been added since the 5 years
I was last here. Circling the
corner, I was about to leave
when I see another Frida painting,
one I was unfamiliar with. Frida
with a baby monkey stare at me.
I smile bigger, the joys of unexpected
sights left me breathless.
It's the little things in life
that bring me the most joy.
Discovering something new
from one of my favorite painters
made my day. The little monkey's eyes
warmed my soul. For a moment, I forgot
I had anywhere to go.