♥ love is just love. it can never be explained.

"where does it lead? what will become of us?

these were our young questions, and young answers were revealed.

it leads to eachother. we become ourselves." (79).

source.

this winter i read patti smith's memoir, just kids,

and although i honestly do not know much about the late sixties or

the contemporary artists with whom she mixed, mingled and created art with

in new york- (andy warhol, jimi hendrix, allen ginsberg & janis joplin

to name a few!) one thing i do know is that the story of her life-long relationship

with bestfriend/lover/confidante, robert mapplethorpe is one

of such complex beauty and unwavering, uncompromising love,

that it begged to be told- and i am so glad she did.

"there are many stories i could write about robert, about us.

but this is the story i have told. it is the one he wished me to tell

and i have kept my promise. we were hansel and gretel and we

ventured out into the black forst of the world. there were temptations

and witches and demons we never dreamed of and there was splendor we

only partially imagined. no one could speak for those two young

people, nor tell with any truth of their days and nights together.

only robert could tell it. our story, he called it." (288)

patti smith portrait plate via beatup creations

what i loved best about this book is that it was told from the perspective

of a true artist- patti was compelled to write & recite poetry, to act, to draw,

to sing, to surround herself always with other creative souls, and to keep

on creating- no matter what. she had no idea which direction her

life would take when she came to new york, but she worked at

bookstores and oddjobs to support her artistic lifestyle, and

eventually found a way to share her art and become the star

she always knew she could be. love her.

"i was both scattered and stymied, surrounded by unfinished songs

and abandoned poems. i would go as far as i could and hit a wall,

my own imagined limitations. and then i met a fellow who gave

me his secret, and it was pretty simple. when you hit a wall,

just kick it in. " (170).