poet
In the little garden
Branches reaching high
Against a small shed
Bright, alive the kumquat tree grew
Leaves turning and twisting like a dance
Branches veering left and right
Unsure of anything but up
Up and into the light
"Kumquat Tree", Oil Painting on Canvas, 14 x 18 inches
https://www.melissawillett.com/shop/kumquat-tree
Remember, you must die
So do not forget to live
What moments will you need to atone for not savoring?
Will your wrinkles tell the story of a life well-lived?
Lines telling of laughter and bubbly joy
But also of the natural worries that come from a caring life
I hope to see your face complete and worn with a bounty of memories
Inhale and feel the bright air
Exhale a sigh from deep within
Hold your loved ones tight and do not neglect to say I love you
I love you
What a beautiful, terrible, wonderful world
I am thankful to share it with you
I love you
"Bird Skull - Memento Mori", Oil Painting on Canvas, 8 x 10 inches
https://www.melissawillett.com/shop/bird-skull-memento-mori
We wait inside
Isolated
While a few are out caring for the world
We are caring for ourselves
Some a whirlwind of hobbies and work and activities with loved ones
Some slow and steady
Sipping on hot tea, with a book, and homemade bread
And yes, some are giggling at memes
Just our ancestors passed on silly nursery songs about the plague
We all handle this in our own way
But together, we turn towards the sun
Ready, in wait, for brighter days
"Sunflowers", Acrylic Painting on Canvas, 8 x 10 inches (Varnished)
https://www.melissawillett.com/shop/sunflowers
If you turned around
It would all be dark
Deep umber branches
Leaves so dark it is hard to tell that they are even green
But stay this way
See the glow at the edge of the forest
See the colors that the light reveals
Feel the light
It is cool in the forest but warmth and sun are steps away
Let yourself feel that bit of romance that is inside us all if we are only mindful enough to notice
Feel yourself stepping out of the woods
Arrive in the sunlight
Arrive in the glow
Feel the warmth
"Glowing Forest", Oil Painting on Canvas, 4 x 4 inches
https://www.melissawillett.com/shop/glowing-forest
The other flowers have blossomed
When will I?
Will my turn even come?
Or will I just fade, never more than a simple bud
They are bright and luscious with their arms outstretched joyously
And I wait
I wait and hope that when it is my turn
If I get a turn
As a late lily
That someone will smile
Because of the one last blossom
When the rest have long faded
"Lily Blossoming", Oil Painting on Canvas, 8 x 10 inches
https://www.melissawillett.com/lily-blossoming
We all go through deserts
Times where the vastness of emptiness in front of us seems insurmountable
Impossible
You will not make it
The wound has spread and it is deep and infected
Just sit with the pain
Do not notice it growing into suffering
You will not make it past this
The voice is sweet and sad
It lies
For a time it felt like the only voice you could hear was that poisonous, wretched voice
Not any more
You will make it through
You can cross the vastness and come out the other side
You will experience joy again
And all the other emotions that you hid inside for fear that it would expose the wound
It will come in like a flood to the desert
You cannot believe it is there
How can a flood and a desert be in the same place?
The floods recede
And just like that the moment is gone and you are left standing there
Alone
But changed
All you have to do is run, run out of the desert because it does have an end
Take your pain and care for it so that the suffering will fade away under your tender care
It will end
You will heal
You can heal
You cannot believe it now, but it is true
I am healing
The desert has an end
Work in Progress, Oil Painting, Negev Desert
Returning from Israel
How will I describe this experience?
How do you sum up thousands of beautiful moments?
How do you make peace with the ugliness too?
Moments where you heard stories of the most vile acts from women who should not have to be so strong
There were lovely moments: gardens, chefs, ruins, musicians, a sense of home and hospitality half a world away
I saw rivers of water flooding through a dessert so deep that you had to firmly remind yourself that it is not usually there - that you who have never traveled get to see a rare and magnificent moment that locals flock to with wide eyes
Tomorrow, it will all be gone
I saw smiles, laughs, tears and the fears that grip us all on the faces of friends and strangers alike
How will I return from Israel?
Different
My first start to a painting in my Israel series is a kumquat tree in the garden of musician George Saman.