Maxfield Parrish
AFTER MANY YEARS
This painting hung on a wall
In my youth.
Whose wall?
I can't remember.
I think it was my aunt's.
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I only know that
I sat opposite it at meal-times.
And gazed at it.
And walked into it.
And believed in it.
And knew it was Real Life.
*
And the conversations of adults
Merged and mutiplied
In an excess of boredom
Over my head.
*
Is it a great painting?
I doubt it.
It is too sentimental for that.
Too fragile,
Too fairylandish,
Too blue.
*
But it spoke to me.
One day
I would escape from the
Brown bread and butter
And I'd enter that painting.
And live.
*
I pondered upon certain things.
Why no bedroom?
Why no clothes?
*
But none of that mattered.
The painting sang
A haunting song
That was heard by something
Deep inside me.
*
I have thought about it
Sometimes,
Vaguely wondering
Where, what, when and why.
The years never answered my questions.
*
And then,
This-evening,
I surfed the net.
And there it was!
*
And it STILL speaks to me!
*
Another painting I feel drawn to here:
6 comments:
His art did seem have that effect...
Hi Brenda... how lovely you sat before this painting... it can inspire poetry and dreams. Of course you can write about the little yellow throat. Carol
what a pretty painting and poem to honor it
I would love if you would create a poem for my princess I would share it with her momma and she would love it as well
I can understand how that painting could draw you into the scene.
I have never had the pleasure of going to a real art show and all of the famous paintings I have seen were copies hanging on my teacher`s classroom walls or books.
I greatly admire anyone who can control a paint brush.
Do we need to explain attraction? I think not - just be grateful for the joy it brings.
Beautiful memories.
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