When They Study An Artist

An amazing painter.........
she was
an artist to the bone
with an artistic flair
for seeing women of the world
not only
for their physical beauty
but their inner charm as well...
A gallery showcasing her work
draws you in........
Painting after painting
hanging on the walls
Glowing countenances of women
from the U.S.
from China
from Haiti
from the Ukraine
and many more......
women and their stories
very alike
and yet...
very different.....
Standing and looking at each one
gazing into their eyes.......
sparkling blue,
flashing green,
a soft, doe like brown.........
wondering what it is that they see each day
as they go about their lives
what they encounter.......
how they deal with it.......
are they in pain......
or full of joy?
how sensual are they.......
do they have the love of their lives.....
or are they just going through the motions......
what's on their minds when
they go to bed at night.......
when they get up in the morning......
when they look in a mirror........
when they study an artist
who is studying them.........?

Copyright 2004 by Phyllis Johnson.
All rights reserved.
Reproduced by Poetry 360 with permission of the author.

Marriage Lines

There was a time before we met,
When moments existed
Without us.
Then like butterflies in the wind
We touched.
Our wings set the molecules in motion.
Strangers dancing around each other,
Aching for what the other could give,
Fearful for what would be taken.
A thin line drew us together,
Like a spider spinning her web
In the dark corner hoping to
Trap the juiciest fly, chew, swallow,
Digest, excrete and begin again.
Sucking the juice from one another
We wove dreams into illusion,
Till the web broke and neither had the
Will to mend.
Now I design a solitary mandala,
A place for me to sit
In the centre.
You, my ancient love,
Are still spinning lines to trap,
And finding you have only caught
Yourself begin again.
But the design is losing its integrity
And I am too far away to care.


Copyright 2004 by Helen Eden.
All rights reserved.
Reproduced by Poetry 360 with permission of the author.

The Birds

There was an ebb and flow
to the flight of birds overhead
dark shapes against an azure sky
creating patterns
once, an unmistakeable
string of diamond shapes
formed by flapping bodies
flowing first this way,
then that.......
changing again.......
some of them flying left
others flying to the right
then seemingly forming
a constellation pattern
nearly making
the Big Dipper...
then another shape
moving so gracefully
so in sync
so sensually
as though nothing else
in the world
even existed........


Copyright 2004 by Phyllis Johnson.
All rights reserved.
Reproduced by Poetry 360 with permission of the author.