Two Poems by Smitha Vishwanath

 

The Novice Artist

 

There is an easel in the living room
beside the unbleached white sofa
with the Indian yellow cushions and Paynes grey throws
Behind it is the glass cabinet
with memories from far and near-
a viridian red Vespa and a Prussian blue windmill
the leaning tower of Pisa in the highest value
of yellow ochre and the Eiffel tower in blue-grey,
On the top shelf is a photograph of her girls
on their first birthday- one in lilac and the other in pink.

On the wooden easel- the colour of raw sienna,
lies a blank canvas, waiting
urging
her to begin; the spotless white daunting
makes her ponder, ‘what if she falters?
What will it take for a novice like her
to paint the world that she sees?
Is a palette of a myriad hues
enough to replicate the yellows and blues
of O' Keefe's sunflower and Gogh's starry skies?’

‘Is it enough to overcome the dread-
tubes of sap green, viridian green, scarlet and cadmium red,
to duplicate Monet's 'Water lilies' and Heade's 'Sunrise'
or is it wise
to give up without trying
and let the canvas stand brooding
desperate for a splash of colour?’
She pauses awhile-
staring out into the distance
before dipping her brush in a palette of crimson.

Ekphrastic poem on the painting ‘ Bathers at Asnières’ by Georges Pierre Seurat

A Sonnet

 

I stand on the banks

Of the Siena on a warm summer’s day;

I see men and women of lower ranks

lounging; waxen figures, their eyes far away.

With strokes and dots, I capture the view-

Bridge, boats, people who matter.

Green trees, ashen smoke, and pale blue

Of the skies and ripples on the water

I choose not to paint the Saints and Gods,

Or tell a story of the past through my art

Neither do I paint the Ladies and the Lords

But only that which touches my heart.

So, view my painting not in parts, but in its entirety

Be enraptured by the beauty in the ordinary.

 

Smitha Vishwanath is a banker turned writer. She began her writing journey in 2016 through her blog. Thieving Magpies, Spillwords Press, Silverbirch Press, Borderless Journal, and Rebelle Society have published her poetry. In 2019, her poem, 'Omid' was nominated for Best of the Net and her poems, 'Do you have dreams?' and 'Forgotten' were given special mention in NaPoWriMo, 2021 and 2022, hosted by Maureen Thomson. In addition, she was awarded the Reuel International Prize for poetry during the NaPoWriMo month by TSL. In 2019, she co-authored a book of poetry, 'Roads- A journey with Verses', which received positive reviews. Smitha's writing is peppered with the lessons learned from the plethora of invaluable experiences that come from having lived in India, UAE and Iran, worked in a multi-cultural environment and travelled widely. She resides in Dhaka, Bangladesh, with her husband and two daughters. When she is not writing, you can find her painting, travelling, or sharing reviews of books she has read on Goodreads, Amazon, and her blog. Her debut novel 'Coming Home' was released on 24th March 2023 and is currently available through Amazon on Kindle and as paperback, in most countries.