Empty thought

What brings round thought
A simple object etched in silver
Half full or empty
Perhaps even overflowing,
Spilling out of my mind
Antique pieces of yesterday.
Cradled in the artists hand
Flowers and insects grow
With each movement created from an emptiness
That borne a thought
Of splendor.
These pieces lose me in wonder
The magic of the mind who made
Each metal piece that sits untouched
Empty of the soul of water
Too precious to use
Forgotten on a shelf
Gazed upon but thought impractical
For the cost of an object
That will remain like history
Fading and dusty
Its intended function now lost
Enclosed in glass perhaps
Later to be wondered at
By an inquiring mind.

I’ve always loved old metal pitchers and glasses…antique stores a favorite pastime to look in wonder at the craftsmanship of yesterday. I never buy of course but often find myself wondering at the person who took their time and sweat to create such beauty. How out of a piece of metal, such detail is born.

To capture a star

Setting off into the night
Hillside spectacle
Canopy of stars to guide
Brush strokes quick and light
Each one lovingly laid down
On canvas.
He calls them by name
As he adds more color,
His friends of all of his years
They hang and wait patiently
While he catches their soul
Of light mastered in oil,
He stands back content
Looking from the work to reality,
Yes he thinks,
This is the moment perfect,
Sitting he watches the sky
And a smile curves his lips
Peace of art
Piece of soul.

Artwork by: http://fineartamerica.com/featured/starry-night-alex-ruiz.html

Quote and response

Nobody, I think, ought to read poetry, or look at pictures or statues, who cannot find a great deal more in them than the poet or artist has actually expressed.”
― Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Marble Faun

To see
The beauty created
Through mind and delivered
By hand,
Pen or chisel
Paint or simple sidewalk chalk
Is a gift unlike any other.
Blessed creations
Of artists or a simple man
Driven to expression
Of life from the soul.