A surprise Valentine poem by Ian Kindle. February 2021
Masterpiece
a poem by Ian Kindle
Seeing you at work upon your Masterpiece
it is difficult to ascribe to you
one consistent way of working.
At times you pass by, glance
then make some fast and casual effortless marks.
A clean bathroom; a tidy surface.
Other times with deep intensive concentration
You spend graceful hours at the easel,
yielding pots of oatmeal; loaves of bread;
calligraphy lessons; a sultry love poem.
Still others it’s a chaotic whirlwind.
A frenetic effort to squeeze a few moments
with this chef d’oeuvre in between
competing demands of the rest of art and life.
A pile of dishes when you’re exhausted;
a sidewalk in need of clearing;
cat litter and endless loads of laundry.
But still you make these brush strokes
upon this giant canvas with grace,
not quite knowing how it will turn out in the end.
You lather on thick daubs of color
and then scrape away.
Always with ecstasy and agony and sometimes
just brute determination of creation
you persevere— artist. lover. wife. mother
as you paint our lives.
For Lauren, Valentine’s Day 2021
“Kiss (2)” monotype, 5x3 inches