“

One of my favorite Nina Simone songs is called, 'You've Got To Learn'. At one point, she sings: You've got to learn to leave the table When love's no longer being served To show everybody that you're able To leave without saying a word I first heard this song years ago when I was a much younger man, and those lines in particular have stuck with me ever since. They are far easier said than done. I've been in thorny situations a few times: making allowances for the wounds being painted across my back by certain 'hands' that I've pathetically grown to trust. There are times when 'saving yourself' can feel like 'cutting your own throat'. I wanted to try and illustrate the difficulty of 'self-preservation' in these moments: how tough it can be to take care of 'you'. It can be very hard to close a door and walk away. It's very hard, sometimes. - JR