Challenging Poetry

Swans Reflecting Elephants

it's too easy to assume our eyes deceive us.
elephants, they say, stand
proud and impressive behind the lake,
living enormous lives below the swans
and trees that float above them,
like crowns, proclaiming their majesty.

no, no, they are swans, we see,
long neck trunks and wide tree legs
standing dead above the water,
anchored by three strong elephants
who can bear their weight.

no, no, we remember, just paint and canvas,
shaped by a master into the question:
what is real? both? neither?
our eyes crave the deception.

so, why should we choose? all are real.
the rock and the man.
the cloud and the hand.
the nightmare and the shadow.
the elephant and the swan, floating serenely,
an impossible mirror of an elephant's head.

line count: 21
April 28: poem based on a well-known painting or photograph (& provide a link to it!)
https://www.dalipaintings.com/swans-reflecting-elephants.jsp