The Artist
I love the stroke of a fine detailed brush
On a slick sheet of canvas
Displaying the details of
Not a nightmare or a paradise dream
But of two hands tilted towards heaven,
Body kneeling before the Lord,
Or of a stone carver whittling the details
Of an arbitrary mass of half dealt-
With rock, an etched-out eagle about to fly,
Showing off the wingspan yet still attached
To a mighty boulder—the unfinished rock
It sits upon—untouched by human hands,
The rock of Truth, guided silky smooth
By tumbled waters, ne’er touched
Or crafted by human hands.
I’d love to paint these things.
It’s an age-old issue, whether to paint
At all or to prefer the stone
Carving trade where reality of manmade
Efforts is ne’er lost because
The object at hand remains
An object of God,
An unturned stone, now turned
And tussled with—a shared creation.
I’d love to stone carve.
It’s an age-old issue, whether to paint
Or carve at all or to just pray
Whether to kneel with hands clasped.
And Jesus taught us to pray,
“Our Father who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be
Done on earth as it is in heaven …”
Yet to sink one’s feet into the grass
On a knoll under a lively
Aged tree and to choose our
Own words—a work of art.
I’d love to pray.
Related prayer - The Lord's Prayer
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On a slick sheet of canvas
Displaying the details of
Not a nightmare or a paradise dream
But of two hands tilted towards heaven,
Body kneeling before the Lord,
Or of a stone carver whittling the details
Of an arbitrary mass of half dealt-
With rock, an etched-out eagle about to fly,
Showing off the wingspan yet still attached
To a mighty boulder—the unfinished rock
It sits upon—untouched by human hands,
The rock of Truth, guided silky smooth
By tumbled waters, ne’er touched
Or crafted by human hands.
I’d love to paint these things.
It’s an age-old issue, whether to paint
At all or to prefer the stone
Carving trade where reality of manmade
Efforts is ne’er lost because
The object at hand remains
An object of God,
An unturned stone, now turned
And tussled with—a shared creation.
I’d love to stone carve.
It’s an age-old issue, whether to paint
Or carve at all or to just pray
Whether to kneel with hands clasped.
And Jesus taught us to pray,
“Our Father who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be
Done on earth as it is in heaven …”
Yet to sink one’s feet into the grass
On a knoll under a lively
Aged tree and to choose our
Own words—a work of art.
I’d love to pray.
Related prayer - The Lord's Prayer
Back to Poetry Menu