I am standing on the balcony, leaning against the guardrail.
I am looking afar. A sail is fleeing to the horizon.
A glass of Bordeaux in my left hand,
A brush in the other, I let my passion express itself.
Today was a long day.
I need your arms to feel appeased.
I won’t get to see you right away, only later tonight.
I read the note you left for me.
I put the glass down and start marking the canvas with ample moves.
I observe the lines that have already landed there, then I close my eyes.
The colors are brought to life. They march before me.
They dance and regroup.
I place my hand in the blank spot on the left hand corner.
The piece talks to me. The soul of the threads in the fabric
Is sending glimpses of the shapes it desires to reveal
In waves that fill me up.
It is now my turn to perform.
I am painting the heart of the work.
I am letting the force of its call
Merge with the energy that dwells within me.
Its vision shaped by my art emerges,
Stroke after stroke, vibrant.
My hand echoes the images it sends.
It ripples to the four corners of the work.
In between breaths, I let my brush
Rest in mid-air and observe.
I love what I am seeing. I feel possessed
By a creative force that fascinates me.
Time flies. I can feel its flow
Bristling in waves, brushing against the downy hairs on my arm,
Shivering in the cool of the early evening.
The sun is hastening. Following its lead, day light
Sneaks out of sight. I breathe out and regain access to own soul.
***
I can feel the pressure lift up. I give in
And let my body – drained of its magic –
Crumble down to the floor of my balcony,
Grabbing in its fall the glass of crimson liquid
Laid down and forgotten a few hours earlier.
My painting is achieved.
I feel lost between two worlds.
Transitioning. I can sense the glass in my hand,
Yet my spirit is still travelling,
Held in the resonances of the world I have just explored.
I bring the garnet colored nectar up to my lips,
And allow myself to be filled
By the gentle, soothing wave
That dawns within me.
I lean against the wall behind me.
Put the glass down and close my eyes an instant…
I can feel your lips decking on my neck
And your arms surrounding me
As you wrap me up in your jacket
To bring heat back to my body.
That night I become your art.
Original text written in French:
L’Oeuvre d’art
Je me tiens debout sur le balcon, appuyée sur la rambarde.
Je regarde au loin. Une voile s’échappe à l’horizon.
Un verre de Bordeaux dans la main gauche,
Un pinceau dans l’autre, je laisse ma passion s’exprimer.
La journée a été longue.
J’ai besoin de tes bras pour m’apaiser.
Je ne te retrouverai que tard dans la soirée.
J’ai lu le mot que tu as laissé.
Je pose le verre et griffe la toile de mouvements amples,
J’observe les traits déposés. Je ferme les yeux.
Les couleurs prennent vie et défilent devant moi.
Elles dansent puis s’agrègent.
Je pose ma main sur le coin gauche laissé immaculé.
La pièce me parle. L’âme des fils qui la composent
M’envoie par vagues qui m’emplissent les formes
Qu’elle veut porter sur son tissage.
Il ne me reste plus qu’à exécuter.
Je peins le coeur du tableau.
Je laisse la force de son appel
Fusionner avec toute l’énergie qui m’habite.
Sa vision façonnée par mon art émerge
Trait par trait, vibrante.
Ma main fait écho à ses évocations,
Et ricoche aux quatre coins de l’oeuvre.
Entre deux souffles, je laisse mon pinceau
En suspens et j’observe.
J’aime ce que je vois. Je me sens habitée
Par une force créatrice qui me fascine.
Le temps passe. Je le sens s’écouler,
Se hérisser par vagues sur le duvet de mon bras,
Qui frissonne avec la fraicheur du soir qui retombe.
Le soleil se hâte. Avec lui, la lumière du jour
S’extirpe. J’expire et me retrouve.
***
La pression redescend. Je laisse mon corps
Drainé de toute la magie qu’il possède
Retomber sur le sol de mon balcon,
Saisissant au passage le liquide carmin
Posé sans égard quelques heures plus tôt.
Mon tableau est achevé.
Je suis comme perdue entre deux mondes.
En transition. Je sens le verre dans ma main,
Mais mon esprit est encore en voyage
Retenu dans les résonances du monde que je viens d’explorer.
Je porte le grenat à mes lèvres
Et me laisse gorger
Par la vague de douceur calme
Qu’il fait naître en moi.
Je m’appuie contre le mur derrière moi.
Je pose le verre et ferme les yeux un instant…
Je sens tes lèvres se poser sur ma nuque
Et tes bras m’envelopper
En déposant ta veste sur mes épaules
Pour me réchauffer.
Ce soir-là, je deviens ton œuvre.
Featured image: Sailing Boat and Setting Sun, Thonon Les Bains, September 10th, 2016. (iPhone 5C, HDR)
Your words are artistry with in themselves, I feel your brush with every stroke of your pen. The verse glides across the parchment like a wizards wand. What a beautiful vision you’ve painted ……
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Wow! I feel so happy upon reading your words 😍 my Ivor. Thank you for being there for me and for being so encouraging. You are the best! 🤗😘
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Always my pleasure, you deserve all my praise.
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❤️😘😘😘 so happy! Smiling wide! Hugs my Ivor!
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Haha, I accept all hugs graciously.
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As I give them to you profusely 🤗🤗🤗
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Your writing is the work of art here; your palette the feelings you so easily share with the enchanted reader!
The ending in particular is a crescendo of beauty, matching the last breathtaking moments of sunset. Almost spiritual are the arms holding you up: arms utterly trustworthy and soul replenishing.
Well done, dearest heart 💕.
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Thank you my D 🤗😘 your comments are such precious works of art themselves.
Merci pour tes mots qui me réchauffent le cœur et ravivent mon envie d’écrire toujours 💕💕
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You paint your own magic with your words, as always. Your unrushed rhythm’s texture brings your art to life (nope, I couldn’t resist continuing this your-writing-as-a-work-of-art metaphor 😅)
I’ve missed reading you and this reminds me why I love it so much. You’ve given me that wonderfully horrible petite mort feel 😅, it’s going to be far too long before there’s something new to read. There’s too much amazing for my clumsy early-morning words to hold, I’m loving every minute of reading an rereading. That slow pace, the wonderful images, the soft gentle sound of your words 😍. And it all builds up to the gorgeous ending with a perfectly matched photo of just the glowing colours from a beautiful sunset. Now I’m just going to sit here and enjoy the bliss that always comes with you 💕.
PS. My translation, while mostly accurate, loses all the magic. The fact that you can write like this in two languages is amazing.
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Oh wow! What an incredible comment to read. It brought such joy to my day. I guess being scarce out there these days has its perks, I get to be greeted with such wonderful comments with every piece I share ❤
I am so moved by your appreciation of the worlds I create with my words. It is an amazing feeling to have such feedback. I am happy I could bring a touch of sunset coloured sky to your gentle morning.
It took a couple of years of intense studying and a lot of passion for me to acquire a good sense of both languages. I guess the key when you translate is to not be literal but to think of the images behind the words and convey a message as close to those as possible. If you manage to do that, I feel that somehow magic will shine through your words and animate your readers just the way it did when the lines came out of you.
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Haha, dont worry. I’m pretty sure I’d be letting you know how great your writing is even if you were releasing 10 pieces a day 😉.
You may say that it was intense studying, but I think I’ll choose to believe you’re some kind of magic wielder who has managed to caress language into a moldable form to do with as you please. Either that or you are an intelligence, artificial or enhanced, sent back from the future to warn us of the danger of not loving love and save the human race 🤔.
Either way, it’s a pleasure to be in the moment to experience it 💕😊.
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I love and approve of all of your hypotheses 😊
Thank you for being such a lovely soul! I treasure your presence in my life, as an artist and as a fantastic friend!
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And I likewise. Thank you for always pushing me to be a better me 💕
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That’s just what friends do 😉
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Yet my spirit is still travelling,
Held in the resonances of the world I have just explored.
I love this part, and the punctuation/break makes it slither under my skin more. Wonderful!
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Hey Mark 🙂 Thank you for your lovely comment. I am so happy you enjoyed this piece. You picked my favorite part to quote.
The great mid sentence helps to convey the feeling of a journey.
PS: How are you? It is my turn to apologise for being so busy I haven’t had a moment to reply to your email yet. I had a look at your website though. I love it and I am so honoured you used the recordings of my voice reading your poetry! ❤
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no worries, enjoy life how it is…even if busy. But yes, is a great piece, and slots together very nicely. You worked the emotional pointers well and made was for the softening thumb of the cloud of passion. (and thanks, glad you like it!-re:site)
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Thank you! I enjoy being busy. Thanks for your feedback. I am glad the piece worked. (Of course I like it. I am a big fan of your work, always. Just a very busy one at the moment, but I will get some time at some point and catch up on a lot of things I have missed) I hope you have a beautiful week. Thanks again for saying hi 😊
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Enjoy it all, we’re all here now for this moment. sure you will be able to capture it all in a stardust jar! Have a great week also.
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Just beautiful. So vivid, descriptive and filled with subtle emotion.
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How lovely of you to say that! I am touched by your reception of my words. Thank you so much for stopping by and letting me know how my lines resonated with you.
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You’re very welcome.
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🙂
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❣️
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Thank you, Kunal 💕
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Re-read this.
Really quite epic capture of the magical state of creativity.
‘I feel lost between two worlds.’ – If I had to describe being in the flow of creativity that would be it.
The scope of this is really incredible, nails the stretching of time so well. 🙂
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