the painter's dream
for daniel sharp on one side of the canvas the neon slivers of a blood red dream blood meaning life, love and desire on the other side a bluegreen cool like the sea a storm welcomed for the promised calm to follow a small bird flies into the studio and cannot seem to get it's bearings to leave the painter puts down his brush and turns down the music on the small radio that hangs above a sink stained with paint and disappointment he is able to catch the bird by simply distracting it for a moment in fact he is somewhat disillusioned the capture should have been much more of a challenge the bird, a brown headed cowbird, is far from home and frightened the painter carries the bird to the table that holds his paints and what remains of his lunch he sets the bird down beside his sandwich and then turns, walks across the room and opens the window wider returning to the canvas he occasionally glances at the bird it's blue metal coloured body noticeably more at ease he is not watching the bird when it sweeps off of the table into a hard bank right turn then out the window he continues to work on the canvas occasionally looking out the window at the ocean calm as his heart salt in the wind like blood the afternoon flying by a small joy in the large scheme of things one freedom leading to another escape not to be confused with liberation
the painter's dream
from
wayne gretzky in the house of the sleeping beauties
Copyright©michael dennis/ Lowlife Publishing Toronto, Ontario 1987
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