TheCourtRose

My Muse left me for a Hobo on State Street and I am sitting on a cardboard box full of unfinished books Can't blame her, really when nothing I do can shake this gray And after a quarter of a century my compass has yet to be tattooed where I can see it The Hobo is homeward bound- my Muse left me for direction I can't give her Now I know what it's like to be left behind In the divorce, I get the cardboard box and she takes her ideas

I have a thrift store sofa and a hand-me-down blanket You're welcome to it anytime Don't need permission or a ticket Come and weather the storm with me Hit a cup of coffee and a walk in the park instead of that bar downtown This won't be forever, windy city seasons don't last for long Just weather this storm with me Hold my hand when the bills pile up Dream of the house we'll call our own Don't let the unemployment line make you wait for life Duck your head as the storm passes over I won't buy those shoes if you buy me a stick of red lipstick A picnic on the side of the road, under a billboard sign and stars will help us forget our cloudy day Come and weather this storm with me Lay down on this couch, under this blanket and take a deep breath We'll hear the rain on the roof, and be warm and dry together

Alice in Wonderland Shoot Not everyone gets to spend Easter Sunday at the Botanical Gardens on the northside of Chicago. I am one lucky bunny. You can find the entire shoot for Chocolate Sushi Couture here . Luckily, as my experiences with modeling have progressed, I have learned to bring flip-flops or soft boots to any shoot. The ONE thing you don't want is to be stuck in hot little heels all day, especially if you're hiking around something as immense at the Botanical Gardens. I shot first, and then did a double shot with Teslyn Butler. We represented the proverbial "Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum" in Wonderland. I wonder which was which? We were followed by Wanessa, Nichole, Naomi, Jamelia, and Tenia. I couldn't say who got to be the Mad Hatter or the Queen of Hearts. All in all, we had a very, merry Un-Birthday! Cheers.

Written for Manik Magazine and Chocolate Sushi Couture. An Ugly Bed Sheet, and Three Lovely Ladies Three curvy bodies in three short dresses, a bed sheet colored like a hot-air balloon, a brilliant photographer and one proud designer were all huddled on the steps of Adler Planetarium on the south end of Chicago’s infamous Lake Shore Drive on Saturday, March 6th. The sun was already gone and had taken with it all semblance of warmth. As one of the plus-size models, huddled against the cold in the luridly colored sheet, I could not help but think, “In other parts of the world, March is warm!” Then I looked at the face of Niehla Ollie, plus-size clothing designer and founder of Chocolate Sushi Couture, and remembered why I had agreed to this shoot. Niehla chatted with her photographer and braced against the cold like the rest of us. City buses and their wide-eyed drivers slowed as each model took her turn on the staircase. Just a tad below freezing usually does not count for much i...