By Julia Kemp
A swift, delicate hand paints a portrait near a gurgling stream
Smooth cream paint glides along the canvas fibers
Paint takes color, color takes shape
A woman in the water lays along the frame
The painter pauses, admires his work
Grins and looks around
Wide-eyed patience
Waiting for praise
Beautiful!
Cried a little girl
Playing on a grass patch
Muddy skirt and messy hair
Her arms are too big!
Cried her mother
Pursed lips
Legs crossed in pompous poise
Maybe her arms do look weird
Thought the painter
He swipes his thumb along her shoulders
Rubs at her elbows until the canvas stretches
Adds paint
And more paint
And more paint
Until the woman’s arms lay flat and awkward
Carefully hidden behind her waist
The painter pauses, admires his work
Grins and looks around
Wide-eyed patience
Waiting for praise
Wonderful!
Cried a little boy
Tossing a red ball across the ebbing shore
Gleeful smile and blistered knees
Her eyes are too bright!
Cried his brother
Hand on shoulder
Leather shoes digging into the dirt
Maybe her eyes do look weird
Thought the painter
He dabs her irises with a damp cloth
Scrapes her eyebrows until the canvas nearly tears
Adds paint
And more paint
And more paint
Until the woman’s eyes are gray and faded
Meticulously hidden behind her sunhat
The painter takes a step back
But doesn’t like the painting anymore
Her hands are too big
Her lips are all wrong
Her hair is too flat
He rips open the canvas
Wipes off the paint
Places the frame in a trash bag
And starts on a new one