Splatter Paint

Replicating nature is seen as art
but in many minds it is plagiarism
copying from the Master
better to be inspired by his work
to tell a story or to give another point of view.

A young boy, danced

while he flung colors all around
then in black ink, carved images of his
family who stared out so somberly.

He wanted his work to dance
like he did while he worked
but was startled at the stillness
of his original pieces.

He realized the stilted look 
came through his religion
and family traditions
all the suffering and loss
ingrained in the very fabric
of his life casting 
shadows on his happiness.

He tried once again by using
his canvas as a back drop
for live performances
where painted dancers
came to life and danced
demonstrating in real time
how he felt while he painted
his work hit a nerve and he became
famous for a little while until he lost
his joy with the death of his mother.

The next pieces he created were dark
like his soul as he worked out the grief
revealing his pain but like the pictures of joy
these were also still, did not reveal the level
of his anguish or the depth of his wound
his fans deserted him
not wanting to see him spill his guts
staying away while he exposed his anger 

violent and red
frightening and brutal 

but now it is all a part of his body of work

telling the larger story of his journey

as an artist they are arranged in a book

he has settled into painting realism

plagiarizing the work of the Master.