You may know that in addition to my artwork I also write poetry (posted on my blog Claudia McGill Writes Poetry, Did You Know That?). For the next several months I will be posting here a combined art/poetry project, Large Artist Sketchbook 2020.

I fill up sketchbooks with all kinds of art. Some contain images only and some of them I use the images as inspiration for poetry. In these books the image is on one page of the spread and the poetry on the other. This book is set up in this manner.

I’ll show you the image and then add the poem that goes with it. See what you think.

Friday Guy

I use a pencil marked with the day of the week
keeps me straight on which iteration of
quintuplet look-alike workdays
I am dealing with
In particular
I want to recognize that valued colleague Friday
soon as it hits the street loud and proud
day five of five slide-through day outta here day
so I can say a big hello!
snap the point of Friday’s pencil
on green paper spreadsheets
leave the lead mark that says
it’s Friday!
and rejoice. In situ but half out the door already
neck twisted in clock-watcher position
(I cast aside my usual
just-short-of-a-faceplant-on-my-desk
Monday-through-Thursday demeanor
in honor of the honored guest) though always
of course
I am pencil in hand. That guy. Yes, him.
I point. Me, that’s him. TGIF guy. Me, that’s him.

2/14/20
Large Artist Sketchbook 2020 Image 5