Dear Artist Red is the colour of passion, And blue that of sadness – Or so people say. As if colours ever had Inherent meanings other than ones We bestowed upon them… What are these colours even, Without a stream of light? Their waves crashing on pigments Who are often very picky – Devouring selfishly all they want, Leaving for us their fickle And capricious leftovers. Our eyes, thank goodness, Are not so fussy – Happily making meaning From the pigments’ Unconsumed residue. But me, what do I know? I am but a humble student of nature – Listening to the whispers Of its cryptic footnotes, Peering through the drapes Of a reticent reality… But you, beloved artist, Do not care about all these – Each Canvas is a multiverse Of chaos ever growing In Madness and harmony – Big Bangs at your whim. Pigments and light Are your shiny playthings – Your impulse : their command, Their guiding principle. Making meanings in our minds Is just an afterthought, A simple corollary. Foolish men, in delusion, Dream of possessing The untamable You, Sheer force of creation. But I know, dear creatress, Having you is impossible, So I humbly request If you could gift me a small world Of bright colour purple – Where the blue of anguish Of not having you, And the red of fervor Of wishing to be yours, Would mix and meld. Only for a brief moment Would adorn time and space With what I once felt About you...

Image credit: Feature image generated with DALL·E using a prompt based on this poem and its themes.
If this piece resonates with you and you’re a visual artist, I’d love to feature your own soul-crafted work in place of the AI image.