Built for comfort -

"His Old Brown Overcoat"
digital collage by Mick Mather

"... wear the old coat
and buy the new book ..."
- Austin Phelps

In the closet -

"Long Black Coat"
digital collage by Mick Mather

"... most likely the coat was sold
for milk or bread
or helped a neighbor ..."
- Jody Williams

While I was out -

"A Hat Made for Walking"
digital collage by Mick Mather

"... grab your coat and get your hat,
leave your worry on the doorstep,
just direct your feet,
to the sunny side of the street ..."
- Dorothy Fields

A drab coat -

"The Patternmaker II"
digital collage by Mick Mather

"... as the pattern gets more intricate and subtle, being swept away is no longer enough ..."
- unknown

The rains came -

"Hat, Coat, Umbrella"
digital collage by Mick Mather

All things considered, I can't complain too much about the weather. It's been a warm, dry spring thus far and we could use a few days of steady, soaking rain. A good thing too, since it's here to stay for the next few days.

Excerpt from The Inventor's Diary: "The Note" -

"A Billet Doux For Her Lovers Greatcoat"
digital collage by Mick Mather

..."I remember watching you fold a small piece of paper. Studious in the effort, keeping each edge trim, every crease clean and smart. Beyond was that old, doddering coat rack, a deep purple shadow of its contents cast upon the wall by cheap incandescents. I returned quickly to my own work, an image of fuzzy edges melding, one into the other, clear in my mind if not in that room. You had left by the time I returned and, donning the last remaining greatcoat, my own, I slipped a hand into the left pocket, finding the note. My heart beat a little faster and a warm flush came over me as I did carefully unfold. Then, that sinking feeling that foolish hearts find forever surprising. The name of the one you confess your love to isn't mine"...