POETRY: I AM AN ARTIST TOO

I AM AN ARTIST TOO

Some shape things with paint

Some carve men from wood

Some weave bags from palms;

Others make canoes

They are all artists

Some strum or pluck strings

Blow a shell or flute

Beat drums, rattle shells

Or sing to the wind;

They are artists too

As for me, I use ink

To pen words, phrases

Paint the room with poems,

Stories, hopes, fears, tears;

I’m an artist too

I write poems, stories

Long, short descriptions

Of folks, of places

Of good memories

And bad ones also

I write about life -

Mine or of my friends,

Of children in school

The ones in love

Or those who fell too

 

I envision hopes

Capture history

Motivate the young

Assure the old -

And those gripped in fear

I write of Him too

Who gave us mercy

And abundant grace

And gave us bright hope

Beyond tomorrow

I am a writer

I am an artist

I paint with words

To brighten, to cheer

To remind, to warn

Those who take the time

To read my words - may

Learn a thing or two

To create, paint, grow - and

… Become artists too

Written for Artists in Nauru (Sept 3, 2013)

(Picture: Entries in a book I used as a journal in 2008.)