I Didn't Mean It

"I Didn't Mean It," acrylic on canvas, 11" x 14", $100 (or make an offer).

I have to tell the story of this painting even though (or maybe because) it's a painful one. While the power was out during the hurricane, I was fixing a contraption that's supposed to drive away flies (Zip-Loc baggie full of water with a penny dropped in). I was standing on the kitchen counter stark naked to do this, and when Grey walked in, he was a bit startled. We were laughing about it, and a few minutes later he made a joke about me being a "fly woman." Of course being misgendered by him hurts more than being misgendered by anyone else in the world, and to his credit, he hardly ever does it. I was looking into his eyes when he realized what he'd said, and he got this panicked look and said "I didn't mean it" like a little boy about to get punished, and that broke my heart more than the misgendering had, because sometimes I feel like this scary martinet-creature that people have to tiptoe around, even if they love me, especially if they love me. And like I'm a pest and an awful lot of trouble. And yet I can't keep from being hurt when the inevitable misgendering does happen. So the next day I painted this picture.

[Addendum: I have tried two days in a row to ship out eBay packages from before Isaac, but the post office's "system" is still "down," whatever that may mean. Winners, I appreciate your patience and will get the items out ASAP.]