This postable Paffooney is really not so wonderfully postable. It got a little bit moisture damaged in the garage where I found it improperly stored. It is an oil painting from before I had a family of my own back in the 1980’s. It is called Madonna of the Golden Door. The girl is my sister, the younger of my two sisters. The boy is one of my favorite students from the 1980’s, one I fed and helped raise in addition to being his teacher for two years.
This painting inspired the following silly free verse poem;
Open the Golden Door
Can a man…
Love a boy?
Not a son,
Not a nephew,
Not an in-law…
Just a boy?
Not for lust,
Not for profit,
Not for gain,
But for the gift…
Of being able…
To teach,
To learn,
To coach,
To cheer,
To mentor,
To shadow,
To see,
To feel,
To reach,
To hug?
Simply to love?
I would say yes…
But what do I know?
I am only a…
Teacher,
Author,
Poet,
Painter,
Wizard,
Instructor,
Confidante,
Mentor,
And Friend.
Catch a Falling Star 
I felt the same way about many of my students, a couple of the deaf students became especially close.Mike
I got to see the kid in the picture when he was in his twenties. He was busy in the work world, starting a family, and doing well. He was diabetic in the 7th grade, but overcame it and was a starting safety on the football team his senior year in high school.