Valentine Month Special (Poem)

Portrait of Love

 

By PRAMITA BOSE

He paints at ease with a confident hand

Steady and poised

Standing in front of his easel

His mind already scribbling a sketchy idea

Outlining his desire to be filled in with his vision

Brushstrokes oscillate between light playfulness and sharp boldness

Colours dripping across the expanse of his canvas

Varying from faded shades to dark tones

From nervous patchiness to a liquid melody

The palette looks balanced

Bearing the signature traits of the artist

His smooth flourishes and thoughtful pauses

Lend a character to his work of art

Layered and reticent

Words buried deep inside

But vocal with a unique language of creativity

Earthy hues highlight this wonderful craft

Oil bottles and acrylic tubes ooze out his passion

Rendering fruition to his imagination

Giving shape to his inspiration

Arousing his suppressed feelings and invoking divine intervention

Letting all his creative juices flow

Unbridled as if until eternity

Importing the possible tools of finesse

Delineating his carefully grasped skills

On the white coarse cloth

Taking all the pains, consuming all the time and having all the patience in the world

He cruises towards completion

Of his immediate task at hand

That looks apparently daunting

But pulls him towards it like a magnet

The force is so strong and irresistible

He is immersed in his ocean of creation

Alone in silence

At his studio

Inside his man cave

Carving out a corner of privacy

A piece of his quality ‘me time’

At times, he speaks to himself

Muttering couplets under his breath

In praise of his theme

He articulates at a lazy pace

Weighing his expressions

With the lingering effect of a tender caress

While resting his gaze

Firmly on the face

Being conjured up on the canvas

A large pair of almond eyes

Loose tufts of locks framing the countenance

Ruby lips sealed with an enchanting smile

The charming beauty so long laid concealed in the bottomless pit of the beholder’s heart

Secured and sheltered

A tear of yearning escapes his eyes

A sense of elation melts his soul

God finally descends on earth heeding his plea

The painter summoned Him to relieve him from his pent-up pang

He who struggled so hard to draw her with all his emotions thus far

Could at last make the portrait of his Muse he had envisaged with utmost pleasure

*****************************************************************************************************************************