ENCOUNTERby Teresita Perez 
My hand embracing my pencil, my sketch book against my arm, overwhelmed my soul in sorrow, I sat alone in the park. Oh, how sad, to feel so lonely among people who were passing; unaware that I was present, I heard them singing and laughing. Could there not be someone willing to have their portrait that day drawn by my able hand, and yet not having to pay? Sorrow weighed on me so heavy. No one knew my heart's desire. Thus I shed so many tears. There were no models for hire. When all of a sudden something erased my hurt and my fears, transforming my painful crying into countless joyful tears. Very quickly my hands cleared all trace of pain from my sight, and I confirmed there was someone posing for my delight. I opened my mouth astonished and likewise saw her expression. We found each other just then, and I noted she was precious. Her friendly features were obvious. All her friends the trees embraced, while posing for me full-figured, and the shy ones just their face. Among the trees moved the people incessantly in the park, and I saw they did not notice my new friends hugging the bark. I felt proud, my hand impatient, that so privileged I'd be. Among the trunks, roots and stems, camouflaged they posed for me. Since then, everywhere they wait. They love to make my heart sing, turning an entire year into never-ending spring. Now I know we can find hope among life's pressures and stress, though sometimes we have to weep to walk into happiness. I dedicate this poem to artist and professor, Beatriz Mejia Krumbein, who draws faces and figures which she "sees" in the colorful, shady contrasts of nature. This poem reflects her experience the day that for the first time she saw a new world to paint. Copyright 1991, 2020 © Teresita Perez I also wrote this poem in Spanish: ENCUENTRO Índice de Poesías de Teresita Perez en español Index of Poetry by Teresita Perez in English |
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