Indelible Imprint

On snowy Illinois days, I

paint a summer scene in

Hawaii, my dream-catcher

brushes tinting a visual feast,

taming the incredible scene by

remolding pristine geography

for an indefinite later, brushes

soaking in a jam jar while my

canvas board dries on the patio.

 

Vain attempt with oils, alizerine,

cadmium and titanium, to form

a copy of the grand scheme of

smoky mountains, lush ravines,

leaping streams and hideaway

beaches I diligently imprint onto

canvas to tease senses, tune

the memories, preserve the pristine

 

geography of an island formed

in ancient fire into ridges etched

by wind and wave to verdant

hills splashed with seeds and

spores, each leaf, each blade

a mandate for life, a tribute to

the incredible persistence of life.

 

 

 

first published in Time of Singing

also published in Illinois State Poetry Society