Apparitions behind every mottled rock.
Shaded countenance surreptitious like shadows.
Fractured slivers and fragments boast -
On wall, ceiling and floor.
Splattered drop cloth - reflective dread.
Fun house of Zeus,
The zigs and zags -
Thundering fakes, illuminated lies.
She claws her face.
Crags of wilderness.
Deep etched drama.
Whirlwind’s not glue.
One face.
One mirror.
Truth
If I were to look inside a rainbow
what sight would I find to astonish me?
Would there be a klatch of bright elves below
with brimming buckets and brushes in hand?
Would they giggle and sing as they painted
colors of the rainbow's mystic aura
with a linen drop cloth well-acquainted
with dribbles and leaks of the artist's stroke?
Would their casual conversation weave
tales of magic places and pots of gold
that a few unhappy humans believe
could be found to abolish all their woes?
I should like to think that the cheery elves
delight in creating rainbows of hope
to inspire mere mortals to love themselves
and rejoice in God's mysterious ways.
naked finger
painting each
other without
caution cause
every drop of
morning dew
will be caught
for later use
Drop cloth dreams
It has been found that given enough time
failure will find this destined loser
lurking in gallery tints
and watercolor fault lines
semi gloss replaced by flat
Painting abstract nothings
on a canvas made of words
Broken brushes stain the existing
balance with a voice that collects the remnants
speaking tarnished silver when silence should be golden
Pop art wastelands of dotted balloons
float above the ground where his face falls,
shamed and hidden, in plain sight
with eyes holding quarters of bygone years
melting clocks keep time with his idiocy
Impressionists laugh at his existence
in muted tone chuckles and turpentine snickers
Stretched on easels of dislodged glances
with splattered smocks tied in double knots
one size fits all
This palette of mixed memories
resting on mainstream notions, waits
for the end is sure to come
finding him alone with an empty imagination
and nothing but drop cloth dreams
6/1/17
For the JUNE PREMIERE CONTEST Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Brian Strand