DEFLOWERED CHERRY VASE

DEFLOWERED CHERRY VASE 24"x 18" Acrylic on Canvas Board 2011 by Roopa Dudley

This painting deals with the subject involving complex emotions and regret experienced but seldom talked about once the virginity is gone along with the relationship with "Somebody that I used to know" (as the song by Gotye goes). How over time a person becomes just like one of the many faceless and nameless nobody. If we had the power to turn back time, would we do certain things as such differently? I know I would. 

The message can be applied to any young girl or boy. However, I want to leave this specifically for my two daughters who are blossoming into women. I am hoping to stay in their life till they are all grown up, but I know that life is anything but predictable. For that reason, I want to leave this behind for them just in case:

Please be careful and haste not. Don't become just a notch on someone unworthy persons belt. Don't become a victim and don't become a faceless nobody. God has given you this body. Treat it like a temple and take good care of it. Life is too short and let this not be a regret. I am not advocating to stay a virgin before you are married. All I am trying to relay is to use your discretion and sound judgement before getting intimate with someone. All is fair in Love and that should be the ONLY reason to get intimately involved with someone. Relationships do break sometimes, and that is alright. What is not alright is to get intimate without having emotional intimacy first. There is a huge price for it. A life time of regret and this is the voice of experience speaking to you. When I was growing up nobody explained it to me that love and intimacy goes together in a romantic relationship. But here I am, I am letting you know this and I hope it gets through to you.

A person capable of self-respect is the person capable of having deep love, regard, respect and intimacy with his/her partner. One does not have to go through life making bad choices and become wise by learning from their own mistakes.

I found a lovely poem on the internet called "When I Was One-In-Twenty" by A.E. Houseman that I remember my father introducing me to it years ago when I was a new teenager. I hope you like it. Here is the link:  http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/237110