The Artist's Gift

It was the faces

That first made me stop

And look

And linger

 

Their wise wrinkles

And smiling eyes

So alive

So beautifully African

 

How long had I searched

For carvings such as these

That reach into my heart

And whisper to my soul?

 

But the gift

That I thought I had found

Was not the gift

That I left with that day

 

It would have been easy

To dismiss him

As just another street trader

One of life’s desperados

 

He had the look

This scruffy Rastafarian

With lopsided grin

Of the joker in the pack

 

But something about him

(Was it his manner?)

Drew me in closer

And made me take note

 

He told me his name

And oh so gently

He told me the story

Of his artist’s life

 

It was clear to me

That he lived only to give life

To pregnant meanings

Forever gestating in his being

 

He showed me his drawings

Which swirled on music

And danced with contrast

And sang in symbols

 

And as he decoded each sign

And unlocked each emotion

Art became transformed

Into philosophy

 

Even the negotiation on price

(As if aesthetics can ever be valued)

Revealed layers of sensitivity

To deeper principles

 

For he spoke sincerely

Of the importance of finding balance

Between giving and taking

And having and being

 

Under the African sun

On the city pavement that day

I felt a connection that transcended

The suit and the T-shirt

 

And as I said farewell

Like old friends parting

For once in my life I had the courage

To speak my truth

 

“The money I gave

Is merely a token of my appreciation

For these priceless expressions

Of your artistic talents”

 

“But more than this

You have my admiration and respect

And you have given me a much greater gift

Which is inspiration and insight”

 

Now whenever I look

At the wise old face

Carved in rough wood

I think of him

 

And I smile

And wish him every good fortune 

Knowing that I am forever enriched

By the artist’s gift

 

Copyright 2004

 

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