"The Artists"

We began like an artist,
observing the scene,
watching each other from afar.
Carefully, we began to
sketch a rough outline
of things held in common.
Cautiously, we touched brush to canvas—
     a first dash of red, a gentle blue.
    Here a sparkle of green leaves in the sun,
     a glint of mahogany.
    Then a slight sliver of silver on black—

     the light of a summer’s moon.
    There the dusky grey of
     twilight; the orange splash of
      the rising sun.
From the first we were
careful to explore
each new hue.
Trying to create,
with strokes of the brush,
a life together.

Copyright 1978 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman