study the studied

propped up against the wall

he ran to get an opinion

from the neighbor down the hall

are there any words

for what's off within the lines?

he ponders it a moment

as his model then reclines

on the edge of his wobbly stool

fixated on reds and blues

his neighbor looks on excited

by the figures and the hues

many paintings are complete

yet he dreams that with one more

the critics then will notice him

and his fame they shall restore

dirt floors and unclean walls

and even Zeus' head of stone

can see the simple brilliance

of this one small work alone

all three in contemplation

of these gifts from common hands

in the crumbling artist's studio

where time hears no demands