Sands of Time
Within the private sands of time She combed for answers Such escape from reality Crystal sand on canvas blend
The sands were imbedded (… nearly two years since my daughter’s birth and placement. In the spring of 1968, while on vacation in California, Susan took time for a day of beach combing …and kept one handful of the ocean-washed sand. Soon afterward, she felt compelled to paint her ongoing heartfelt struggle. As the umber-toned monochromatic figure study dried, Susan sprinkled her canvas with the found crystals of sand. Her poem and painting Sands of Time describe the silenced emotional conflict she was facing daily, concerning the adoption placement decision she had agreed to in 1966.) © Susan Van Sleet
She drifted away
Little by little
Day by day
On California beaches
Her heart was longing
Seeking peace
Left her no reason
She must carry her secret
From season to season
Could not her fragile heartache mend
Another year passed
More shadows were cast
Her life was still fettered