Quite plain your plane
of carpentry but the fit's
just like a velvet glove
where lid and body meet
and close, the way 
most lovers move.  
This box, presented void of gifts
contains one rule unwritten
a pledge of sorts to aim to keep
pure emptiness within
and treasure such neutrality
so blank, so bland...

and so I've crammed it full to brim
tube on leaky tube of paint
in all the complex shades of love
like torments that Pandora wrought.
Thalo blue's bright chemistry
green undertones of ingénue
and temperatures as cool as you
I've overlaid and thrown bright rose
part blush, part passion stamped
that bruises with a purplish stain
some black of course, the shadow side
and white-styled porcelain occludes
the chaos of my gift to you

29 thoughts on “A Box and Paints”

1. Absolutely amazing what you’ve done with the images! Hard to pick out my favorite lines. Some are “green undertones of ingenueand temperatures as cool as you”and the details of the part blush, part passion, bruises…..Wonderful write!

   1. thank you Lillian for such generous appreciation

2. I love your literal title, Laura, and where the box and paints led you – to wordplay, the comparison of the box with ‘the way most lovers move’, and the gorgeous paint metaphors, ‘all the complex shades of love like torments that Pandora wrought’.

   1. many thanks Kim – these two were an immediate choice though it took Pandora to help me put them together 😉

      1. My pleasure, Laura. Thank you, Pandora.

3. Oh I am in awe of this for so many reasons beginning with the pairing of these two images. Love the pivot from the neutrality to everything but! I especially enjoyed the blending of concrete colours to the abstracts of life. The last line…”the chaos of my gift to you” was a juxtaposition gem!

   1. thank you Mish for such encouraging feedback -the juxtaposition prompt was so inspirational as were the choices of image and these two gave me an opportunity to be extreme!

      1. Thank you, Laura. So glad it inspired.

4. Very imaginative and well evoked! This is a beautifully written poem, and very delightful to read! Loved the images you picked and take on the prompt! 🩷

   1. thank you for your kind words of praise

5. Worthy treasure for safe keeping.

   1. I treasure the message of your comment and have heeded it

6. Great pairing and an imaginative composition 🙌

   1. many thanks for this praise of the pair

      1. 💜

7. Wonderful writing, Laura. Your contrasts work so well together. There is beauty in emptiness and loss in the fullness! Or…is it the other way around?

   1. many thanks Dwight for the paradoxical poetical feedback

      1. You are very welcome, Laura.

8. I’ve overlaid and thrown bright rose
   part blush, part passion stamped
   that bruises with a purplish stain

   Love the words of an accomplished artist to describe the use of colours of varied shades thrown in on to the canvas. Wonderful write Laura!

   Hank

   1. many thanks Hank as once I’d begun the colour lines they did seem to just splash on to a canvas

9. Your juxtaposition is fluid, rich, and on-point, Laura. A treasure, this. ❤

   1. thank you so much Jennifer for the fluidity especially

10. What a clever response to the prompt. Love it.

    1. thank you

11. Great imagery here. And enjoy the juxtaposition. I wouldn’t have thought of it. 😊

    1. the unexpected – half the fun of a juxtaposition

       1. True

12. Your quiet, empty box suddenly floods with tangled colour. Nice write Laura

    1. nice imagery from you Shaun / thank you

Comments are closed.