A Somber Mind Dulls the View
I looked at the Spring garden, I was about to paint,
knowing the new tubes of paint I ordered, were due, any time soon.
I saw that many of the rose petals had faded,
from red to mauve, some that had dropped were brown.
So without red, I could mix blue with magenta,
and yellow to paint those drab ones.
The briers and weeds wore a weary green hue,
dappled with grays and black shadows.
So my empty emerald green paint tube, didn't matter so much.
Much of the ground was bleached and burnt by the sun.
So I covered it with pine needles and twigs,
and added some black shadow streaks.
The tall brown trees stood out against a yellow wall background,
covered in vines, bearing violet-blue wisteria flowers.
One tree, broken off in a storm,
was easily drawn as a proud man brought to his knees.
When I stepped back and looked at the scene I had painted,
with such frustration and anxiety in my eyes,
I was very disappointed.
The greens were dull, saddened with gray,
The bright ochre reds, and orange hues were missing.
The roses bore no ruddy blush, only thorns, and dull leaves.
Even the sky darkened, beneath a single black cloud, threatening rain.
Then the doorbell rang -
The postie knocked with my paints.
Suddenly the garden breathed -
Red flared back into the rose petals.
Green reclaimed the leaves.
Violet vines shimmered.
The yellows and blues hummed, into life.
The veil in my mind lifted like a mist.
Even the sun came out.
It was a different garden,
seen with different eyes.
I wiped away my tears.
Cleaned the grubby mood from my glasses.
Began to paint -
Not what I saw before,
But what my eyes had been waiting to see.
Copyright ©
John Anderson
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