Picture Poem

Swirl inky color and pearly thoughts
onto starchy fiber with a writing staff,
blend with the tones of the soul
before splashing toward a masterpiece.

Paint a poem
with black ink and poetic brushstrokes;
vivid and bold with lightning bolts,
somber with fear and teardrop puddles.

Define images with subtle highlights
or paint over one verse with another.
Brush in a happy cloud of spring
or the cold-hearted blizzard of winter.

Paint a poem
of his sleeping form at dawn,
laughter riding on a warm summer breeze,
or the tear slipping through her cupped hands.

Write with the words the heart and eyes form,
but the lips shy from speaking;
paint a poem of the soul
for a picture says a thousand words.