Wise Man: Part II

I used to be an artist,
Utterly devoted not long ago
Disruptions from reality
Preserved my sanity
When the seasons changed,
The falling leaves gave way,
The snowstorms, the blazing sun,
All these memories I have painted
Tasked not to imitate,
But simply to imagine
Fifteen minutes of fame comes with great pain
Time dulls the mind and memories fade
My world can save the past,
The cost overwriting reasoning
A picture lasting a thousand words,
Or all you can recall from a time forgotten?
I lived my life through paintings,
Until the paintings lived through me,
And then all that was left
Was for me to draw my last breath


Poem 12