Always in the Sibylline Colors

My canvas

Was a barren alabaster

Yet there I stood

Clinging tight to my brushes

Covered in hues and colors of light

Each with a voice

To sing a sacred composition

Of tints and pigments

Deep strokes of darkness

Bleeding and blending into one

That is where her memory lived

As I tried painting her with a smile

Joy to caress her lips

Not realizing that she was happier

In the walking away

Happier as she created distance between us

She my divine dreamscape

And me, her only regret

So I painted her in still life

In sapphire shades of remorse

Always in the sibylline colors

Haunting my canvas

Forever 

Author's Note

Sibylline: "mysterious; cryptic; prophetic"

“The feelings that hurt most, the emotions that sting most, are those that are absurd - The longing for impossible things, precisely because they are impossible; nostalgia for what never was; the desire for what could have been; regret over not being someone else; dissatisfaction with the world’s existence. All these half-tones of the soul’s consciousness create in us a painful landscape, an eternal sunset of what we are.”
― Fernando Pessoa

Reviews

[Einstein Noodle]

oh the heartbreak ... Ken Simms is also an artist and blends his brushes into his poetry and stories .. i love it ..your use of color and emotions and scenes are full and vivid ... your protagonist is a sad sack all right ...most have had those times ..mine are so long ago they have a very dimmed importance for me ..but the most fiery can be resurrected with only the smallest effort .. damn it! ;)
E.
ps. well done poem owl .. very worthy in my opinion

[An owl on the moon]

Your words are so appreciated, and Ken is remarkable! Grateful that your darker hues are distant and dimmed for you. Perhaps I cut my wounds too often to awaken their deep colors.

[Einstein Noodle]

yeh...we do tend to do that ... we need it sometimes in the process of grieving ..but i think a limit can be reached ..and the purity of a painful experience begins to corrupt :( love and joy my friend owl ... :)

[Sandipta$]

Nostalgia for what never was... The desire for what could have been...... Wow.... From where u got those lines.... Touching...... 😊

[An owl on the moon]

This came from a deeper, darker echo of my soul. Your words are so appreciated, dear poet. 😊

[AprilRN1210]

each stroke of the brush tells a story as you eloquently stated here, and in each beautiful color an emotion. Sometimes stepping back to write or paint lets us see things clearer, even if it is painful. there is even beauty in pain. That is what I see here. Your romantic tender heart shines through the honesty. I love getting lost in your magic, even now as I want to reach out and hug you. the quote is so fitting and true. funny how that works sometimes.. makes me wanna change the wavelength of my soul so it can create some sunshine :)

[An owl on the moon]

Ah, dear friend, you always create sunshine wherever you go. I hope you know this. Thank you for letting it shine on my page here. Yes, perhaps I've found in life that pain can create the most beautiful colors of all, for they take on hues from the deepest parts of us. Here's to your new week and lots of sunshine. :)

[AprilRN1210]

thank you... I'm learning to try and twinkle like a star, not sure it will ever shine like the sun, but who knows.. your work always creates beautiful imagery and emotion, so I guess you have

[An owl on the moon]

I believe the sun is overrated. We need starlight so the nights don't seem quite so dark, so twinkle on. :)

[AprilRN1210]

haha, now that right there made me giggle and smile from inside out. thank you.

[Poetic Beauty]

The feeling of love disappearing into the graveyard of broken hearts. Love the way you use painting and colors to convey your thoughts.

[An owl on the moon]

How your words bring deep, warm colors here. Thank you so much.

[MOON]

Love the story painted in all its hues. Poignant and elegant remembrance.

[An owl on the moon]

Thank you dear friend. May golden colors light your canvas always.

[B]

Oh this is beyond beautiful

[An owl on the moon]

I so deeply appreciate your thoughts.