Do You Remember?

(for Teresa)

Do you remember those trance-like states
that used to invade your mind
each time you picked up a pen or a brush?
It was almost like a rising sun
and you smiled because somehow you knew
the secret meaning of things.

It was never in any words or images—
those were just a camouflage
for something greater, something
beyond all words and pictures.

It was a simple act of breathing,
of being alive, of having to prove
absolutely nothing to anyone
that made you happy—
a simple stroll through the woods
or the fragrance of wild flowers,
the sea foam and the sand
on your bare feet, as you watched
the sky full of wonder.

No, you were never called a poet
or an artist then—
you were just an observer,
absorbing all the beauty
with those childlike eyes of yours.

And you never worried about writing
or painting a thing,
simply enjoying just being who you are.
For there is no greater masterpiece
than awakening to a brand new day
and feeling truly alive.


   February 9, 2004
--Alexander Shaumyan