Chiaroscuro of the Heart

Faded sketches zigzag and weave about my heart.

Shapes shifting. No end. No beginning.

A continuous flow of thought and meaning

Woven throughout my life.

I look for you in the spaces between

And fall into the depths of my own

Darkest places.

The shadows shift.

Smoke, and ash within a twilight chill so deep,

I cower, and cling to the tangled lines you drew around me.

My fingers claw your rough, darkened, edges,

While razored lines,

And slippery curves,

Upend me in a kaleidoscope of colour.

A hallowed voice urges,

‘Let go’.

And in time, I do.

I float.

Outside the frame I see these crimson veins

splattered against the surface,

while punctures of wine and pale, pink insipid smears,

bleed over the edges.

I step back.       A little further

And I see you dancing a chiaroscuro around my world.

You are woven into my heart,

Etched into my soul.

This imprint erupted into life.

This shattered masterpiece.

 

© Annie Christie-Whitehead 2023

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