Drawing on Windows

By Matthew McGuirk

Squiggles and highlights in yellow, orange, red and purple paint a sunset across the panes of glass on the Andersen slider in front of the beads of cascading rain outside.  The day has been overcast with glittering necklaces off the roof, but rain doesn’t chase away a two year old’s smile. I look at that grin, full of teeth that just poked through, knowing she’s in that moment and presenting something genuine, even on a grey day. Others might see her art as a negative or something to be reprimanded, but I know she has plenty of time for that later in life. 

That light she shows now is something that disappears for most or gets clouded over, choking out the sun. Taking markers in tightly coiled fingers to that window and smiling through strands of blonde hair falling in her face is how we all start. It’s just like scooping sand into buckets and flipping them over or drawing stick figures on the etch a sketch and shaking it moments later. The products disappear, but it doesn't matter because the memories stay, like pasting a picture in a scrapbook. When do we learn to wish days away for the promise of a weekend and only worry about balancing checkbooks or scrolling through social media? 

The mural will be sprayed clean by Windex in a moment, but that doesn’t matter to her. I look at my daughter and wonder if I can keep her from the world that only feels like stacks of bills or bad news broadcasted through TV screens. Really, I wonder if she has something to teach the world. I wonder how many take time to draw on windows like she does and wouldn’t it help to do it more frequently?

Matthew McGuirk is a 2021 BOTN nominee and lives in New Hampshire with his wife and two daughters. His debut collection with Alien Buddha Press can be found on Amazon under the title “Daydreams, Obsessions, Realities”. Twitter: @McguirkMatthew and Instagram: mcguirk_matthew.