Paint Me!
For Poppy's Prompt Thingo 5 - May
Paint me!
Yes! please Paint me into time indefinite itself!
with umber for my searching, eager eyes of love and pain
titanium white, yellow ochre and burnt umber, for my skin, my warmth
with intense blue for
the tightest pair of jeans I've never worn
can you paint double denim?
a jacket and jean combination
from fashion hell
would you? could you?
penetrate the white with cadmium
or lunar black or Payne’s grey
for the backdrop, the setting
maybe an ultramarine shirt
*
Splash the paper
dowse it in water
mix to make magic happen
strike the canvas
as you would, to my heart
give life
to my ego, id, superego
give form
to my conscious, subconscious
and unconscious mind
*
Paint me as a Picasso, Dali or Bosch
In triptych perhaps, or abstract
befriended by pigs and the scourge
with my greatest of loves
bring to life my calm-adjacent, frazzled mind
with unrestrained wonderment, nightmarish embellishment
Paint me as
a troubled Van Gogh or Pollock
weary and worn out
weighted by life and anxiety
*
Use your talents to bring me to life
heavy brushstrokes
to burden the weight of the anguish
lighter brushstrokes
for the fine lines of stress
give my lips
life and confidence with warmth
as my body erodes, life drains from me,
give me legacy
immortalise me,
yes please, immortalise my mortal coil
bring forth with honesty
the unkempt hairs
on my back and my abdomen
for never a back, sack and crack fellow
ever was I
*
May the flick of your wrist
and the mix of the palette
give testimony
to my infamy, memory and very soul
a happy little accident
of a planned creation
that was pushed forth
from my dear mother's womb
*
Envelope my being
in the canvas, like swaddling a baby
whether in
a scrapbook of discarded projects
heralded in the finest of galleries,
as the greatest
grant me
the status of regals, fools and villains
*
Highlight
the drama, the war within in my body and soul
as I descend from the loftiness
of man's apex to the dirt
and cast a shadow no more
and breathe my last breath
let the embodiment
of who I was, am and could be, live on
Paint me as I lived,
not as the ashes that blow in the wind
*
Paint me
with the most haunting, endearing eyes
somewhere between Dorian at his worst and Ms Lisa at her most ominous
with eyes that pierce right through skin, sinew, flesh, blood and bone
to the innermost deepest of wretched thoughts as you curse my name
for as he searched for immortality and was afforded it,
through hedonistic appetite and frivolity for morality,
so too did I suffer for my appetite
*
So, please, paint me without pandering
like an artist of old
who held back from the truth
to avoid the chopping block
Paint the imperfections,
the sincerity of my quest for redemption
Paint me with glasses
and make note on canvas
with deft brushstrokes the deceit in my eyes
the difficulty most had
in trusting me
for a man is everything
the good, the bad, the ugly
the love, the anger, the darkness in their mind
the lack of agency
reluctancy of responsibility
the kindness that underscores, overshadows
brightens the dims, embattles the clouds
with water and paint, bring me to life
living and breathing eternal
*
Or sketch me, yes sketch me in rough,
like one of the French girls
an Adonis selling parfum
we know them too well
on a napkin or the wall of a public latrine
as I blow in the wind, like a fart in the breeze
*
Thanks for reading!
Author's Notes: This was written for Poppy's Prompt Thingo 5, which you can find out more below.
I feel like this, something I wrote in very short time, is very much a companion piece to this piece -
About the Creator
Paul Stewart
Scottish-Italian poet/writer from Glasgow.
Overflowing in English language torture and word abuse.
"Every man has a sane spot somewhere" R.L Stevenson
The Accidental Poet - Poetry Collection is now available!
https://paulspoeticprints.etsy.com
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Vale Perficientur
"My tears need a minute to find the edges of my face. If you'll please excuse me." The sarcasm stabbed into Juliana’s heart. Antonia glared at her from the pit of the Lyceum as her student fought to hold back tears that had nothing to do with the pain in her fingers. “You’re better than this, again.”
By Matthew Fromm5 days ago in Fiction
Comments (28)
I was not prepared for that ending😂 This is SO powerful and raw and well written. Definitely one of your best!! This is the kind of astoundingly well written poem that is still read and admired for many years to come. I can’t pick a favourite part but this would have to be up there: “ Paint me as I lived, not as the ashes that blow in the wind” Really really well done Paul
Congrats on your leaderboard prize! And for writing this epic! That last line is carrying me away 😂
I’m so happy you got Top Story for this one, Paul. Like Cathy says, truly epic! Congratulations!
Buddy! This is epic. Raw, emotional, all the good all the bad. I could almost picture the artist at work, at times gently stroking the canvas and other times attacking.
Wow, Paul, this is epic! I just came across this having been away from Vocal for almost a year. I can just see an artist furiously applying broad strokes of colour, with brush and palette knife, layer upon layer to capture your essence! You've created a painting in words, for sure! Congratulations on publishing your work on Amazon as well!
Ok,Paul, so in all your glorious un-glory, your true self and nary a look at the butt-crack, thank God, thank you!! Loved your poem, so full of everything, and emotion, and grit and cool. Congrats!! 🎉🥳 (And Vocal has locked me out with their new roll-out).
👏👏👏 love this! Completely engrossing. ❤️
I wonder about modern art sometimes. It can seem very unfair to the canvas...or the eyes. Top Story, indeed!
Back to say congratulations on your Top Story! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
so true to self and utterly human...sometimes I believe you are Shakespeare reincarnated
Congrats on TS! I enjoyed this a lot, Paul!
congratulations on TS. what a clever way to ask to be seen through the eyes of another. this is GREAT.
Excuse me??? Jean pants and a jean jacket from fashion hell??? Have you never heard of a Canadian tuxedo??? lol This felt like a call not necessarily to paint you but more see you and accept you as you are!! Fart in the breeze and all!!! Hahah! Sorry, I couldn't resist the playful poke!! 🤣 Congrats on Top Story Paul!!
Congrats on Top Story!🥳🥳🥳
This was absolutely jaw-dropping. What a marvellous work of poetry! The connections to literature and color are vivid and make this a stand-out piece. Incredibly well-deserved Top Story. Congratulations! And thank you for writing such a gorgeous poem.
What a tremendous poetic construction! Wowsers! What an achievement! Didn't know you had all that in you Paul. This is immense! Congratulations on the top story!
Beautoful work, my friend! "Paint me as a Picasso, Dali or Bosch" 😍
What have you done with Paul? And who is writing this? I am so envious of this writing style of yours here! It’s very striking and potent! I like! 😁👍
Another WOW poem!! I especially love the paint colours used to represent various aspects of you: 'with umber for my searching, eager eyes of love and pain titanium white, yellow ochre and burnt umber, for my skin, my warmth'.
Only recently I got to know the meaning of latrine and I feel that it's such a pretty name for a girl, lol. Also, fart made me laugh so much hahahhaha. Jokes aside, your poem was so profound and intense. Such a mindblowing piece of magnificence! I loved it! 🍩🥐
Paul, you are a born poet. This is extraordinary, and the last line just cinches it. I was holding my breath at the enormity of your message and that last line made me laugh at how seriously we usually take ourselves. Hope this wines Top Story!
What a final line! Love the role of perspective traced in this!
"strike the canvas/as you would, to my heart" - my fav bit! Deserves TS imo 👍
This is extraordinary. The power of the piece kept growing and growing till imploding at its extraordinary finish. I could focus on so many different lines in this that I loved, but that would completely miss the point. Your poem is epic in scope, as if something bold and mad as the proverbial hatter was unleashed in your poetry with your last piece. Rock on Paul. You’re really on to something here. Don’t let go of it!
Your story is very nice. I loved it!