Whimsy Manor

An author needs an author’s house
This author’s house is Whimsy Manor.
It’s small and humble but has heart and soul aplenty.

Should one take inventory at Whimsy Manor
Say for the purposes of insurance
or simple interest
You would most likely find:

A cat - black and sleek, naughty and beautiful
Talkative and clever and ready with a cuddle
Every author needs a cat.

Books
Philosophy books, novels, poetry books, signed books, old books, books propping up tables, spilling from crowded bookcases.
The saddest ones live in the dark of the hallway cupboard, banished but not thrown out.

Art, so much art
A previous inventory noted as many as 180 paintings, drawings and photos
Hung salon style from every wall
There are cartoons of the author and her activities, treasured and displayed in pride of place.
Paintings and sculptures by artist friends and the author herself.
There are flowers painted into the walls themselves.

There are memories
Some of these would not be displayed
For they recount a time when the author was diminished and sad
A time when anxiety and fear roamed the rooms of Whimsy Manor
A time of visits from mental health workers and police
A time before the feline presence of Mr Kitty in all his wonder entered and turned the fear on its head with his purrs and soft fur.

The last thing in the walls of Whimsy Manor is the author
Clumsy and smart and silly,
Talking to herself,

Dancing in pyjamas in the kitchen
Working, writing, working
Intense but foolish.
Protective of what she loves
Trying to include perspectives of others
Laughing on the phone with her mum
Despairing of the quality of television
Loving life
Drinking coffee and eating the same dish every night since 2013.

Yes an author needs a house
A house with soul and beauty and love
with its idiosyncrasies and perfect chaos of books and art all over and a cat surveying the scene.