A poem by Frank

For Gerard and all the artists of the world

He sat there alone, staring into emptiness

Memories flooding his senses, accentuating his distress

Reflected in the water of the small pond

Was a glimpse into another world, of which he’d been so fond,

Two sisters playing in the yard, an image from the here after,

A golden sunny afternoon, full of innocent carefree laughter.

Bees buzzing around the daffodils, gathering pollen for their honey,

A gaily dressed little leprechaun, carefully counting his golden money.

Wispy clouds of gossamer white, floated around like candy-floss,

While a small frog jumped from a lily-pad, bring this image to a loss.

A dragonfly hovered in the warm late spring air

Bringing focus back into his stare,

A beautiful maiden sang a mournfully haunting melody

As the river tumbled lazily from the pond, down the mountain to the sea.

Smatterings of purple from the heather on the hillside

Contrasted vividly with the orange blossoms which the vision could not hide.

A wishing well filled with the coins of a thousand hopeful lovers

Covered with ivy from the base to the winter covers.

A silent tear ran down the side of the boys face

And fell onto the beautiful canvas on his lap, embroided in lace.

The tear drop became the small pond in the painting

The bees and the dragonfly settled slowly into it before fainting.

This glimpse into another world was produced

By the hand of the painter boy and then reduced,

To a beautiful piece of art from the mind of a dreamer

Where fantasy and reality so often mix in a hazy shimmer.