I never understood what people meant when they said, "That piece of art touched me." I have been "touched" by prose and even by song, but never by a painting or sculpture until I saw Michael Whelan's painting, "The Mad Poet."

I don't know why but when I look at that piece, I feel like I am looking in a mirror. I look nothing like the person in the painting physically. I feel an emotional connection to the piece. I look at it and think, "This is how I must look when I am writing." Deep in thought, almost crazed, pained by the craft, trying to get words out of my head and down on the page. It's dark and gloomy. I find that's how I feel quite often when I write, especially when things are not coming to me easily. On days, when I've sat in front of the computer waiting for inspiration to strike and it doesn't, I find myself thinking of "The Mad Poet." It's comforting to know that there's someone else out there who's struggling to create right along with me.