John Lawless Poet Free verse

PEEK-A-BOO

“What do you see?”
A simple inquiry 
requiring 
            A not so simple response

For I do not see
With my eyes alone
They are but a portal
To the insanity
Of a mind’s interpretation
A wilting flower
Lying beside a sleeping kitten

Perhaps a subtler inquest
“what does a painting stir in you?”
And “why”…”How”
Does a wilting flower
Lying beside a sleeping kitten
Reach through crusted paint
To hold you spellbound

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Gershon Wolf August 27, 2026 at 8:36 PM Brilliance just became brighter yet.

sara Etgen-Baker August 27, 2026 at 1:58 PM such a mystery--why does art of any form move us. I think it's the creativity, the speaking of one soul to another.

Paula Goldsmith August 24, 2026 at 12:13 PM I enjoyed reading. Great Questions....... Will there be a part 2 with the answers??? Have a wonderful day writing away...............

Daniel Henry Rodgers August 24, 2026 at 8:04 AM Hello John, I think you’ve captured the true mystery of art here. It isn't just about pigment or canvas, it’s about that invisible bridge between what the artist felt and what wakes up inside the observer. O' to let ourselves be held spellbound by the deeper layers of the world around us. Amen! Blessings, Daniel

Alison A Smith August 24, 2026 at 4:29 AM A compelling free-verse meditation on seeing beyond mere sight. The widening space before “A not so simple response” beautifully enacts the pause and complexity of perception, while the recurring image of the wilting flower beside the sleeping kitten becomes increasingly evocative. I especially enjoyed how the poem moves from inquiry into the mysterious, personal power of art to reach through “crusted paint” and hold us spellbound.