The Artist

A scruffy young man observes in the corner;

He is mannerly and quiet and a natural learner.

He has a delicate face and shaggy brown hair,

And a face full of stubble and blue eyes full of care.

He wears a plaid shirt that buttons down;

It is a selection from a wardrobe of brown.

His clothes are stained and don’t fit his body. 

His humble style shows a man not haughty. 

He wears patched up jeans and battered shoes. 

His life and his paintings tell a story of blues. 

Though he struggled through drugs and a life of trouble,

His eyes see beauty in a world filled with rubble. 

His story is sad, with experience and pain,

Though in his life he sees hardship as no more than a stain.

On his journey for change he carries hope in his pocket;

It is the promise of beauty in the form of a locket.