A twinkle in his eye, a sparkle that betrays him.
He is meant to be serious, learned, grounded—
yet there it is, that flicker, a glimmer of dream.
The bow tie is tied too tight, the collar stiff,
the pipe sits like a prop in a play he never auditioned for.
Distinguished, yes—at least by appearance—
but even professors feel the itch of fur beneath their cuffs.
His mind wanders.
Always it wanders.
Past the papers, past the deadlines,
down corridors of questions without answers,
into rabbit holes where ambition grows wings
and daydreams wear spectacles of their own.
What is it to be rational?
To know the world by weight and measure,
when wonder itself defies the scales?
And so he drifts—
between ink and intuition,
between suit and skin,
between the professor he must be
and the dreamer he cannot silence.
The twinkle remains.
Always it remains.
Story and art by Damian Smith
Original artworks, Limited edition signed prints and digital downloads at www.TheCosmicFray.com
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