Art Poems, Volume 2 // Sample Chapter

Art Poems, Volume 2 by Ashlee Craft - Cover

Bricks by Ashlee Craft

Bricks

Watercolor on paper – 2013

repeating patterns of city motifs played out in cardboard box puppet theaters / tiny tulips sprouting up from between cracks in the cold hard cement yet not limited by the insufficient sunshine which reaches them still choosing to bloom in the darkness / they sprout upwards towards the sun because it is their right & they cannot be stopped by what or where they might be at the time / just as the mountain must push up thru the soil before it can touch the clouds / must be reminded that the sunlight is still out there & can be found if only you keep seeking it / & that the only way you can go is up, that you must keep on growing or else you will never reach the clouds or the sunlight / if you do not try, you will never be looked up to or brighten the day of the lonely traveler on their way to work as they walk thru the city streets & are suddenly reminded that there is still hope / bricks marking patterns upon the walls surrounding them & sunlight glints off of them in their morning dew / casting rainbows off & onto the sublime flower petals & the flowers absorb the sunlight & for now, it is enough / the flowers are growing despite their trials / the bricks are shining & bringing overlooked strength to the streets despite being trapped between others / & the mountain still grows despite the magnitude of what lies ahead

Farms & Fields by Ashlee Craft

Farms & Fields

Marker on paper – 2012

exuberant splendor of Elysian fields
& quintessential cascade of grassy meadows
see the quaint little farmhouse untouched by time’s changes sitting in the center
& the fields full of cows serene & grazing without a care in the world
the sun rises above the hill; day is just dawning
meaning a whole new day is blossoming before them
where endless possibilities lay yet undiscovered
& grand windmills stand high above it all like mountains
the cows moo gently & the wind rustles tall wheat fronds in silent rhapsody
this is the meadow where all freedom is contained
& between leaves of trees gently singing to the wind
& the white picket fence outside the farmhouse
yes, from the past there is much magic
I seek it equally with the future

Freedom Meadow by Ashlee Craft

The Freedom Meadow

Acrylic on canvas – 2012

purple sky beneath surreal ebullient meadow
cast your soul into the rhapsodies of joy!
& feel the magic that resides in this field
this field of possibilities
where everything is perfect & happy & wonderful
& life is easy but not too easy
& no one is ever bored because there is so much to do
& every day is the best day of your life
sunflowers growing above the grasses
& seeming to glow beneath the sun
which smiles down upon it all
you are never truly alone you are never truly alone
the whole world is smiling at you gently encouraging you onwards & whispering
“keep trying keep trying you’re going to make it there”
& they will not let you give up
because just when you are about to
you will look out your window in your exhaustion of the day & of life in general
& you will see a single bright star shining down into the lake
& your heart will fill once more with hope
when you realize you have nothing to fear
keep trying, keep trying
you’re going to make it there

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