Blank is the canvas

as it on an easel sits

awaiting the composition

of the artist to transfer

the image from his mind;

each careful color mixed,

matched by a skillful stroke

until from total emptiness

a new creation is made.

There are many creative

fields in our world, from

science and inventiveness

to music, literature and art;

the one that I would like

to dwell more on though

is the one I like best,

namely the art of poetry.

Much like the artist

with his canvas bare,

or the composer

yet without notes,

so too the poet,

his sheet ready

to declare, that

which there is, in his

mind, heart and soul.

Just as the artist

ever so carefully,

selects his color

to give it its proper

hue and intensity,

so does the poet

choose his words

with fine technique,

artistically, providing

concise, explicit verse

to paint his canvas of

poetry, just for you.

HERBERT HOLZBAUER

© February 1997