He admired the beautiful art in the empty canvas
Confused, I told the little kid
What was that you say? When I have painted nothing else
The little kid told me to trace it,
Bewildered, but so I did
Wondrous eyes watched every genuine stroke
Knowing well, what line and what direction it had took
But with the sight of the half-done painting, my brush withdrew
The little kid shifted his eyes to me that turned bemused
“Why did you stop?”
“Little boy, I fear you will become one with the painting”
“You fear?”
I did grow very worried. But I did not respond.
And so, I left the room.
Leaving him there all alone.
I didn’t know if he left the room at all, all I knew was that I never caught sight of him at all
Until I did, my eyes glimpsed back into that room
The little boy who sat still on my stool kept admiring the painting I drew,
As he still waited for me to come by
The time had been flying by,
but he was the breeze that carried on
That I felt my senses get tickled on,
As if urging me to come back inside
But I couldn’t move anything aside my eyebrows that was furrowing at seconds time,
My god, have you not left the room, the room that defeaned in silence, the room that only contained a half-done easel painting?
And then, from the corner of my eyes
I saw my brush lying on the floor
I bent down to stare it down
But dared not touch it unless I fall
From the pit, I could easily mistake for bliss
I swore to make a fool of myself no more
For believing there was really art by the empty canvas,
or for prentending to see the vision alike those wondrous eyes
Yet to see the young boy determined as if it were truly the art he saw,
I could only stand there outside slack-jawed
I remained, as if I anticipated him to notice my presence
To come pick up the brush and put it in my hand
And guide it towards the canvas I nearly finished at the end
Then I was suddenly brought back to the little kid’s question before, what I fear
Even now, what I really fear was something so frightful I had turned clueless
In fear I might shiver and jump at the very thought, yet now perhaps it’s useless
