You Paint The Walls

You paint the wall with focus,
covering the grime of the past
with a new patina of color
perfectly matched to your eyes.

Gray walls emerge
and the life lived between
and against those walls
fades into new hues of possibilities.

With even brush strokes
and a steady hand you paint and paint,
yet the color beneath is stubborn
and continues to prowl through your efforts.

Long into the night in shadowed light
you toil until you've masked the space
to your satisfaction, accepting that
striving for perfection is frustrating and foolish

because what was before can never really be undone
or covered completely, there will always be a dark mark
that seeps through high in the corners,  your only option
is to view it all from a different perspective.

I watch you paint the walls and I love you for even trying.

Reviews

[MsJewel]

I watch you paint the walls and I love you for even trying.

This is true love...to want to erase "the dark mark" as you so eloquently wrote and make everything fresh and new. I love your use of metaphor in this beautiful poem.
Stunning writing my friend
:) Julie

[icelandicblue]

Thank you so much Julie. I appreciate that.

[redflutterby]

When we are suffering our spouse or partner does their best to make things better for us. But despite their efforts we still carry the same problems and pain. Hopefully we see their attempts and love them for it. Sometimes though we can be so consumed by our own difficulties that we can't or dont acknowledge it. Its the number one reason why major stressors affect marriages. Instead of pulling together we distance ourselves. This is a poignant poem Anne....

[icelandicblue]

Thanks so much red. It's not all bad all the time. We try, we muddle through and do the best we can. Your comment means a lot.

[redflutterby]

A lot of us are muddling through....so dont feel alone in that. Youre right...we do the best we can hun. ;-)

[Rita L. Sev]

your only option
is to view it all from a different perspective...

We can't fully erase the scars, but one who loves us makes them fade, and see them in a new light...

[icelandicblue]

Thanks Rita,

Love can make you see everything in a new light. Always a pleasure.

[Frieda P]

Sounds like your better half is on a mission Anne, thankfully you have back up to paint those walls even though the pain bleaches through time and again....this is a bittersweet read, albeit full of moxy and strength.

[icelandicblue]

Thanks Frieda. I guess we do what we can eh?

[Frieda P]

Seems that way Anne, then we write poetry. Did I say 'better' half, I meant other. ;)

[PoetryPenPal]

This poem was very good. I love the description!

[icelandicblue]

Thank you Poetry PenPal. ; )

[The Rock And Roll Cowbo..]

This speaks to me as a person who has been hurt by love and knows that the past heartaches can effect the present love. I can totally relate to that, then again most people can.

[icelandicblue]

Thank you once again for such a lovely review.

[The Rock And Roll Cowboy(REBEL WITH A CAUSE)]

As always you are welcome.

[Vidya Bacchus]

It is amazing to see the things that our better half will do for us to let us know in actions if not words how much they love us.Trying to make things better when there seems no light at the end of the tunnel.This one is so honest and heartfelt Blue :)

[icelandicblue]

Thanks so much Vidya. I am happy that you liked this one.

[Vidya Bacchus]

I did very much.You are welcome :)

[jacob erin-cilberto]

sometimes, if only.
we find a person who really loves us and wants to bring us back to the realm of the living, of the loving...but that wall is stained with an old paint (memories) and that old color just keeps surfacing.

really excellent metaphor here.

jacob

[icelandicblue]

Thank you jacob. I'm so happy you liked the metaphor.