Poetry and Painting “What I know of Heaven”

This watercolor painting of warm light behind shadowed trees is basically a two value painting.  Its’ contrast of strong value shapes and cool darks versus warm intense light gives the subject a powerful message.  I tried to keep the details and highlights subdued in the dark foreground.  Try to make your paintings about simple strong shapes and your work will be more successful.

12×16 watercolor on 300lb Arches paper

What do I know of heaven?

absolutely nothing

Its one of those magical

Showstoppers

That never quite come

with understandable directions

But what I do know,

It won’t be found on my IPhone

Or on my favorite reality show

about amateur British bakers

cooking the best Victoria Sponge Cake

or even for that matter

Watching Pogba

Head it in the corner during stoppage time

Most of you have already moved on

And left this poem

you couldn’t care less

can’t be bothered

heaven is not real,

doesn’t exist

it is a concept for the feeble minded

who vote wrong

a pure waste of time

for the enlightened modern mind

To those I say

have it your way

But

I’m not talking orange robed mysticism

I’m talking real life

outside your mental window

Heaven

Not an abstraction

But Heaven

Its not the knowing

Of Heaven’s zip code

Or a GPS reality

That’s important

It’s the act of living

With eyes wide open

Catching the flicker of wings

At the side of the river

When the cattails move

with the grace

of dancers

Hearing the tiny splash of swallows

As they swoop to catch the little hatchlings

and rapid chirp of redwings

As they call for their mate

Insuring their day in the sun.

it’s there, I believe

in the smallest of things

that I see

what I miss

when I run

headlong blind and arrogant

Heaven

In the light of a thousand fireflies

Flickering up into the trees

Like the glow of the warm fires

of a Medieval cathedral

Or a frozen drop of rain

Clinging to the side of a river reed

reflecting light like the Queen’s jewels

Or the tiny yellow wild flower

That fights for its survival

Against the onslaught

Overpowering aggressive weeds

Like the lone man

Standing his ground in Tiananmen Square

Heaven

Is not a destination

It is just heaven

Yes heaven

captured in the fresh earthy smell

of a summer rain

or the warm morning light

that streaks through the trees

and heats the dust and pollen

lifting it into an fine amber gold cloud

heaven

yes heaven