'This Painting', by John Tustin
This painting
that I am going to tell you about –
it’s all in muted colors
of blue and yellow and brown
and
in this painting
I lie in bed
beside her
and it’s afterward
and her head is resting
on my shoulder,
her fingers playing
with the hair on my chest.
It’s a painting in a dark room
in an early morning.
This painting –
the air is still, suspended
and a very pale blue;
my eyes are downcast
as I play with her hair.
It’s evident we are both
thinking about other things
even as we soak in the moments
of afterward.
This painting
hangs on no wall
and
no one’s ever seen it
but me
and now you
when your close your eyes
and think about
what I’ve just told you.
It’s a beautiful and joyful
and also a sad painting.
Close your eyes
and see it,
know what I tell you is true.
John Tustin’s poetry is forthcoming in Eunoia Review, Trailer Park Quarterly, Blue Unicorn and others. He is also a previous contributor. John’s first poetry collection is available from Cajun Mutt Press. fritzware.com/johntustinpoetry contains links to his published poetry online.