The God of Wine and Patios

On May 17 of this year I bought this cement gent at the Living Color Garden Center in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. I liked it at first sight even though it was hanging on a wall maybe three-four feet above my head. Upon closer inspection I said to Pepper, the nursery dude who climbed up, precariously, to bring it down so I could give it an up-close perusal, that I thought it looked a little bit like me and he said that, yes, “it reflects you.” It actually depicts Dionysus (also known as Bacchus), the Greek god of wine (and other kinds of licentious debauchery) so how could I not buy him? I think the piece is what is called a “sand sculpture” (I should have asked, I guess) but there is obviously a lot of the finish that is hand-done subsequent to being taken out of its mold. He is about the size of a dinner plate and now hangs on the patio wall at the house of Earl and Bernardo, buds who live in Hollywood, FL. It seems only right that it is on permanent loan to them since I tend to crash at their place intermittently. They have an extra bedroom, a second bathroom, the best dog in the world, a wonderful backyard pool, a garden to dig around in and, now, an image of a false god to worship. Let the Medallion of Dionysus be a constant warning to them that at any moment I might show up, demanding sanctuary.