Creation Study

he is positioned to catch good light
on his back with one leg held straight
the other bent upwards

the temperature is a little less than warm
and the hairs of his legs and arms and stomach
have stiffened slightly
noticeably
as an easel
brushes and colours are readied

he is quite still
with eyes seeming focused
towards a far corner of the ceiling
or beyond

but in truth the gaze ends
only a short distance into the air before him
at a place where he has conjured
a lined page from inside his mind
and an image of his hand holding a pen
in the act of writing verse
about an artist and her model

although still
but cannot think perfectly in this medium
an error needs erasure
by a hand raised and finger pointed
to stroke mistake away

the impression caught on canvas
is a study of stillness
in the act of correcting creation

---

© Frank Prem, 2001

130218