paintings with poems
A good friend who is familiar with my poetry, suggested I include a poem with my artwork. So come 2019 I began putting to paper, my thoughts of each painting which I now share with you.
Venice, city of love
Venice, with its colors of yellow and gold,
And its setting sun, with hues of red and orange,
Its waters shimmering with tones of green and blue
Makes for memories forever to behold.
Wherever you go is a perfect picture,
With its colorful masks enticing from wherever they hang,
While its Murano glass a must for every collector.
And every glass you toast, a superb tincture.
The steps and the bridges challenge your health
Its people and food, its way of life, its colorful doors rock.
Come with hunger and anticipation and adventure
And what you will find, cannot be measured by wealth.
So we will place in a heart a promise as we sail away
To come back someday with the intention to stay.
Private Collection
Looking for vincent
His name was Vincent
An odd duck to say the least.
His mental cues accompanied him
Battling to the death his inner beast.
He traveled to the south of France
Where he perfected his beloved art;
Encouraged by his brother Theo
Vincent’s vivid colors capturing the heart.
He painted his way with boldness and expression
Consumed with a passion unsurpassed.
His impoverished life paid for
With the collectable canvases he amassed.
You will find Vincent
In a setting sun and the hues of a sunrise
And when you do, raise a glass in toast
As you will see his art, through HIS eyes.
Private Collection
She paints in colors…
There once was a girl, an artist;
whose world was colored black.
And she went through life
with an imaginary X on her back.
She wanted to be different, happy and gay;
but it was difficult with the cards she was dealt
to change;
as if she was dragging life around in heavy chains.
Then one day
a man bumped into her, knocking her to the floor
and helped her up with sincere apologies galore.
He looked into her eyes, feeling her pain
and was astonished to feel a tugging at his heart.
Boom! He fell in love, promising her a new start.
He moved in and made life better.
Closets were cleaned and all blacks and grays
thrown out.
Replaced with such colorful garbs,
she wanted to shout.
No longer does her world
reek of fear, darkness and gloom;
Instead her life mimics, flowers in glorious bloom.
Now, she paints in colors…
Private Collection
Molly
She was known as Molly
living in a tower of flats
where one had to daily dodge
drug dealers, gangs and a vicious black cat.
She dreamed she was born someone else
who lived where the air was fresh and clean;
in a place which held no danger
where you were free of everything obscene.
Escape came in the shape of an ad
her chance to make her dream real;
the post box accepting her hopes
knowing fate would provide her a deal.
She left with very little
what was most important was within her soul.
She stood in wonder viewing her new life
over the sand atop of a knoll.
Private Collection
Shades of colors
Of this sight I do declare
shades of color everywhere.
Red symbolizes strength and passion;
but also that of materialism and aggression.
Orange is our relationship to the external earth,
with caring and creativity to add to its worth.
Yellow stands for our happiness and intellect,
but can be associated with cowardice I regret.
Luck and vitality and prosperity be that of Green,
so too can it heal, making us clean.
While Blue can be inner peace and intuition
or tagged to depression putting us out of
commission.
Purple is that of earthly and spiritual power
and to heal those whose minds constantly cower.
But it is White that will heal, protect and cleanse,
removing pain and suffering, the one we call friend.
Private Collection
A Game
A child’s game comes to mind
which will keep you entertained;
challenge your imagination
without using any tools to ascertain.
One can play it while riding in a car,
while sinking your toes into hot sand;
perhaps while waiting for bus,
even while being sprayed tanned.
There never are wrong answers
though a debate could possibly ensue;
but a judge is never needed to decide
as everyone wins, too true.
So tilt your head up and gaze at the clouds
and wonder of my guiding thoughts.
it was nothing deep nothing fraught,
just a simple game I was once taught.
I spy with my little eye…
Private Collection
At a Distance
At a distance
Everything within view appears small and insignificant.
Choose to think of the big picture.
At a distance
The journey to the top of a mountain seems insurmountable.
Opt to take the adventure upwards.
At a distance
Colors are dim and shapes indistinguishable.
Decide for a close up view and clarity.
At a distance
Places imply little or no habitation.
Make the pilgrimage and be blessed with a new friend.
But standing right in front of you
Is a beautiful world, a work of art to get lost in.
Your choice…
Private collection
The Lilac Door
Somewhere in Paris, a perfect little hotel exists.
Its location a secret, its amenities on everyone’s wish list.
This door remains closed waiting for the girl.
She wonders what Paris is like, her thoughts all awhirl.
City of Lights so says the brochures;
With museums and stained glass definitely ensured.
And what of love for this romantic destination?
Just walk its streets and feel the sensual pulse of this regal nation.
Its food and its wines remain forever a lingering pleasure,
Forever will one compare, being up to French measure.
It has vintage markets and designer shops. a buyer’s gamble,
its parks and neighborhoods, for those who love to ramble.
So Paris awaits and will open the Lilac Door
When the girl realizes Paris will wait no more.
Private Collection
The Man in the Window
I see him waiting impatiently to be shown to our table.
He is a busy man.
I watch the waiter bring him a bottle of champagne and two glasses.
He is a wealthy man.
From across the street I follow his gaze to the stunning blond at the bar.
He is a cheating man.
I observe his hand goes underneath the table for a quick fondle of his jewels.
He is a lusty man.
I witness his annoyance when my call rings through.
He is an angry man.
I recognize his distorted features as he realizes I am not coming.
He is a scary man.
As I turn my back on the man in the widow, I begin to walk away.
He is a forgotten man.
Private Collection
Back Roads
Life is rushing by
picking up its pace;
As if it was running, a twenty mile race.
Slow Life has become a movement
challenging us to slow down;
encouraging us to take a really good look around.
Rise early and catch the morning waking up;
with its pastel hues of color, and birds in flight;
then stare at the evening stars with their dancing lights.
The seasons come and go
with so many of us unaware,
blinded by technology’s constant glare.
So treat yourself to a Back Road trip,
take your foot off the brake, stop,
and relax your constant frown.
You could be most surprised
seeing nature’s wondrous sights,
possibly even a midget clown.
For Sale
Forgotten
Forgotten is a sad word on its own.
But as we sift through our memories
Cutting them free, making them known.
Gone are the days of our childhood
When our mother’s shouts to come home
Brought the end of many an outdoor game for good.
Who hasn’t hid in an old abandoned house;
Played kick the wicket, tag and hide and go seek;
When all that was required, was to be as quiet as a mouse.
Neighborhoods are gone or changed beyond memory.
Friends from our youth scattered or dead;
Innocence and purity put into adult jeopardy.
Much of our past contributed to our present roadshow;
Taking what was good and pure and releasing the bad.
Our parents voices reminding us, we are what we sow.
Gone but not forgotten.
Private Collection
Door Number 14
I first met this special girl
When she was young with lots of curls
Wearing tutus and doing swirls.
And as she grew, so too did her beauty and her height
With a smokey voice indicative of the night.
Her courage the result of 3 brothers and their fights.
But it is what inside that makes her shine
She is never known to ever malign.
Her Kindness and goodness is her own design.
She found her true love, her shining knight;
Accepting a proposal to be his wife;
On the threshold of a whole new life.
So through this symbolic door
with Milad, her true amore;
They will share their life for evermore.
Private Collection
EYEING THE LIE
It almost was a hole in one
On a beautiful Scottish afternoon.
If it had a tiny more momentum
He’d be buying drinks at the club’s saloon.
But there that stubborn ball stayed
On the edge of the 18th hole;
It gave our friend a naughty wink
Feeling it was bursting with total control.
The ball was tired though of being constantly hit
Or laying in sand till it made it itch.
Flying through the air without control
Was the worse, then hitting a pond or ditch.
Being the man our friend truly is
He ignored the ball the seemed unsteady at the edge.
He shouted: “Drinks all around anyway”,
His friends loud “Cheers” nudging the ball over the ledge.Private Collection