What to paint?
Why must the eye, like a huntsman’s dart,
Seek out the bruise upon the peach,
Or map the cracks within the heart
Before the words are out of reach?
We pace the halls of polished stone,
With lanterns held to hunt for dust,
As if the flaws we call our own
Are settled in the layers of rust.
A jagged edge, a slip of tongue,
A shadow cast where light should fall—
We keep the bitter anthem sung
To build a fortress in the wall.
Is it a fear of open grace?
A shield against the sudden bloom?
We trace the lines upon a face
To strip the warmth from every room.
For if the glass were truly clear,
And mirrors held a steady view,
We’d lose the comfort of the sneer
And be confronted with the true.
So we dissect, we pry, we weigh,
We strip the paint to find the grain,
And chase the gentle sun away
To dwell within the house of stain.
But beauty breathes in spite of sight,
It thrives despite the critic’s pen;
We turn our backs upon the light
To hunt for holes in better men.
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Author:
Friendship (
Offline) - Published: May 17th, 2026 08:22
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 35
- Users favorite of this poem: Sree, sorenbarrett, Friendship, Tristan Robert Lange, Fränz Müller
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Comments8
You’re pointing straight at how the mind sharpens itself on imperfection, like it’s safer than softness,
There’s a quiet ache in it—how we learn to inspect the crack before we ever trust the whole.
Thanks
A truly insightful poem of people's character to look for fault until we find it fore in it we confirm our superiority. And if we turn this vigilance inward and look for personal faults we find them too confirming our self blame and cause of our state. This is a masterful poem carefully worded and psychologically well built. It in most poetic terms with great rhyme and meter sets forth the human need for blame as an explanation for all that befalls us. Very nicely penned and a fave
I'm deeply grateful for your visit to read my poem and, more importantly, for grasping its essence so accurately. You're spot on! Recognizing my tendency to critique others, I took a page from my best friend's advice - not everything revolves around my thoughts. This self-reflection inspired a poem about embracing my imperfections, acknowledging the negatives that hinder my growth, and striving to overcome them, which I believe is the key to unlocking my true potential.
You are most welcome my friend and the best of wishes in life's venture
Friendship, this really moved me…and both the poem and painting carry the same spirit. I could immediately tell that artwork in the picture had to be yours. I’m actually at the ocean right now while reading this...at Wildwood, NJ. There’s something calming and beautiful in it that feels unmistakably you. The poem itself cuts right to that human habit of searching for stains instead of light…and that final turn lands hard. Beautiful work, my friend. All around fantastic. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
I'm deeply grateful for your visit to read my poem
What a powerful piece! Outstanding.
I'm deeply grateful for your visit to read my poem
Beautifully captured how we seek the flaws in others and keep bruising others and sometimes ourselves rather than accepting people as they are.
I'm deeply grateful for your visit to read my poem
it was a pleasure to read it - do keep writing and sharing - have a productive weekend
Kept me captivated from beginning to end. You kept the message fluent in style with every word choice. Loved it. 🙂
I'm deeply grateful for your visit to read my poem
My complete pleasure Friendship.
Kept me captivated from beginning to end. You kept the message fluent in style with every word choice. Loved it. 🙂
You kept me captivated from beginning to end. Blame is can be a dangerous shadow in a persons psyche. Blame of our selves. Blame of others. It keeps a person battling like a huntman after the prey. Genius.
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