The Typist

"The typist home at teatime, clears her breakfast, lights
her stove and lays out food in tins.
out of the window perilously spread
her drying combinations touched by the sun's last rays
on the divan are piled (at night her bed)
stockings, slippers, camisoles, and stays."
-T.S. Eliot

I grew up typing on my grandparents' typewriter. Sometimes I wouldn't write words, but would rather mess with the keys to see how all the jumbles of black inked shapes crowded around each other to form unreadable things. I understand computers are a must by today's standards, but in all honesty, I miss the typewriter. There's something much more magical about seeing your words get stamped out in front of you.

I am currently in awe of artist Keira Rathbone (www.keirarathbone.com) who does some incredible things with her typewriter, sketching real people and places with punctuation marks. Pictured here is a rendering of Kate Moss. Keira's website tells where she will be "typing" next. What's even more beautiful about this artist is her look. I love how she embodies vintage style.

Seeing a typist brings to mind one of my favorite Eliot poems, The Waste Land. Although the typist only has a few lines' mention, some literary professors have argued that this character is the most interesting in the whole poem. I am so intrigued by this woman who is associated only by the objects she surrounds herself with. I hope that you are surrounding yourself with beautiful and meaningful things today.