Stepping into a gallery in the Washington National Museum of Art
And greeted by a luminous painting
All sky and light and possibility

I exclaim out loud "Turner!"

And the guard at the door swivels to look at me
And I hasten to explain--Turner one of my favorite painters--
And he shrugs and returns to his post

While my mind goes back in time

To seeing paintings by Turner
In one of the museums in London
Wall after wall of them
All filled with light
And how long I stood and looked at them

And then further back to the Washington National Museum
Where my father and I went every year together on his visits
Just the two of us
Our ritual father-daughter outing

And the last visit before his stroke

"Ah, Turner"
He said, as we entered a gallery

"One of my favorites"

Kristin Moyer
January 14, 2025