Poetry Forum

You are an artist with a unique talent.

Thanks Caleb.

I like it. Great eyes.

Cheers,
John

Cheers John

Given that you write minimalist poetry with as few words as possible, I find myself wondering why your art isn't more minimalist or cutting edge. In my youth, I fell in love with a watercolor painting that was created with perhaps 7-10 brush strokes. It was part of an exhibit and I wasn't able to afford it, but it was captivating. Perhaps you should try something similar.

Interesting point Caleb. I don't have the answer, or perhaps I don't have the skill set and fear creating caricatures.

There's a story about a famous Chinese painter summoned by the emperor to show his skill. So he is set up in a studio and given ten years, the emperor being a patient man. Ten years later, the emperor returns and asks if the painting's ready: there's a big wall with a curtain in front of it, presumably where the painting is. The painter says to come back in ten years. OK, the patient emperor says. Ten years later, he returns. Same studio, same artist, same curtain. He asks to see the painting. The artist says it still isn't ready and that he needs ten more years. And the emperor agrees. Ten years later, the by now aged emperor returns and says to the artist: "I can't wait ten more years. Can you show me your painting?" So, the artist draws back the curtain. It's a completely empty wall. Then, he takes a brush and in three quick strokes, draws a crab on the wall. It stands up, scuttles across the wall and disappears.

Moral: three quick strokes can take a long time.

As the mountaineer reaches the summit,
the mountain disappears from under him.
The stopped clock tells the time; the blue
ocean parts neatly, like a loaf of bread.
This is not the journey never made;
this is not the futility of achievement.
This is the painted crab scuttling off the wall,
the long years unwinding and the glory they reveal.

Cheers,
John

I question the logic of those old fables that have nothing to do with reality, but your poem is good, especially the first couple lines.

As the mountaineer reaches the summit,
the mountain disappears from under him.

Very deep!

Thanks Caleb, it's an old poem, here because as you see, it cites this old Chinese fable. I'm glad you liked it.

As you say, the fable has nothing to do with reality - one assumes no painted crab in fact scuttled off the wall back in the day. So, I'll quote Whistler instead, who sued Ruskin for libel for calling his painting a pot of paint thrown at a canvas. The judge said: "Do you ask this sum for five minutes work?" And Whistler said, "I ask it for the experience of a lifetime."

Moral: Quick work takes time.

Cheers,
John