During the London residency, I receive online from far away a poem by Fernando Pessoa, reminding me of home and the painting back there waiting for me to return (source):
The Herdsman
BY ALBERTO CAEIRO (FERNANDO PESSOA)
TRANSLATED BY EDOUARD RODITI
I’m herdsman of a flock.
The sheep are my thoughts
And my thoughts are all sensations.
I think with my eyes and my ears
And my hands and feet
And nostrils and mouth.
To think a flower is to see and smell it.
To eat a fruit is to sense its savor.
And that is why, when I feel sad,
In a day of heat, because of so much joy
And lay me down in the grass to rest
And close my sun-warmed eyes,
I feel my whole body relaxed in reality
And know the whole truth and am happy.