Poem for Saturday and Bunnies

A Painter's Thoughts
By John Yau

I want to paint in a way that the “I” disappears into the sky and trees
The idea of a slowed down, slowly unfolding image held my attention

Variations on a theme are of no interest. A bowl and cup are not ideas.
I want my painting to be what it contains: it should speak, not me

The idea of a slowed down, slowly unfolding image held my attention
I paint things made of clay, just as the pigments I use come from the earth

I want my painting to be what it contains: it should speak, not me
Brown and ochre stoneware bowls beside a white porcelain pitcher

I paint things made of clay, just as the pigments I use come from the earth
I place the pale eggs on a dark, unadorned tabletop and let them roll into place

Brown and ochre stoneware bowls beside a white porcelain pitcher
The dusky red wall is not meant to symbolize anything but itself

I place the pale eggs on a dark unadorned tabletop and let them roll into place
I want to paint in a way that the “I” disappears into the sky and trees

The dusky red wall is not meant to symbolize anything but itself
Variations on a theme are of no interest. A bowl and cup are not ideas.

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This week has been shit and I'm so glad it's over. Nothing terrible happened to me personally -- it's just been more of the same, not seeing my friends, not having any idea when I can see my kids or even whether they'll be living where they're living now when I do, not even really seeing my neighbors -- which would be okay if there was an end in sight, but we're obviously not even close to that, and between the ongoing horror of how black people are treated by the people who are supposed to protect them and the RNC and its supporters spouting dangerous insanity, it's been extremely demoralizing.

Tonight I'm really sad about Chadwick Boseman, who I always thought was talented and committed to a lot of wonderful things and now know was also extremely brave and selfless. It was not an eventful day here: we went to return a DVD at the library and got home just as the thunderstorms started, so we didn't get in much of a walk, and I did a couple of the new Mega Pokemon raids remotely with local people. I did talk to niece because of a Charles Manson meme that made me think of her, heh. And we watched Atomic Blonde, which was very violent and diverting. It seems like a good night for local bunnies: