A Lesson in Seeing.

Sumi-e
That is what my poems are,
A flick of strong colour
On off white paper
Hinting at delicate cherry blossom
Or a mountain sketched in black and white
But seeming more real
Than the actual mountain.

These paintings have soul,
They pulsate with life,
The careful music of Monk, or Bach,
Visualised with the swish of an ink laden brush
By a solitary master
In a quiet house.
Even this robin, frozen in time,
Seems about to chirrup and hop.

I put away my book of instructions,
It would take me decades to paint like this.
Things that seem effortless, as easy as breathing,
Take half a lifetime to achieve.
But at least I have my palette of words,
Thin lines sketched on off white paper,
And with these I can perhaps begin
To tell a meaningful story.


Trevor John Karsavin Potter.
November 26th. 2018.