booksartyoume

'the artist' timothy r g, 2/15/2008

looking for the pigment
the hue, just right
from the earth
will place it against the earth
-we pretend to create ex nihilo
dare we say eis nihilo -
our canvass of clay
gesso, sometimes combine colour
-six primary ones,
on the sixth day our species breathed;
seven lines to move around the chosen surface,
like the buddhist seven line prayer,
or one form of the hesychist prayer of the heart;
on the seventh day elohim reclined, saying,
'all is very good.'-
ish and isha walked with elohim in the garden,
in awe of the explosion from chaos
into beauty,
their complexion, a divine gift from the earth,
and they, also, said,
'cool, this is extremely good.'
pilgrim artists,
searching for what lines,
what pigments,
what hues,
how deep or soft to push their brush,
knowing,
in the discovery
is found what was waiting for this movement in space;
knowing,
we are the brush,
we are the canvass;
like the grapes on the vine
if just right, they ferment,
near ready when picked,
we only lend a helping hand.
now,
let's dance, skip, rest, press,
let's swirl in the thrill,
gods and goddesses not able to stand it,
they must join in.
the artist must,
as well.
(sometimes we're not so quiet, either)
time to dance and sing:
paint.