Piss Artist



A room of knowns and unknowns, of sound,
Talk, chat, music, a covering of quiet desperation.
People alone and people together.
Empty chairs, empty table, chairs filled and tables attended.

Occasional braying, humour it seems,
Bursts like sputum from a writhing epileptic.
This is my haven. My home from home.
I hang my hat here and hang myself from ropes of make-believe,

Painting fleeting images of fun, sketched with liquid,
I create worlds and inhabit them as though real.
My make-believe reality, a bent, distorted truth,
Provides succour for a bone-dry soul, self-made.

As the paint never dries, the picture always changes.
I make them, fellow painters add or take away from them
Blurring any semblance of normality in dull, cold froth.
Never mind, never mind, another pint of clarity arrives. Cheers.

The show goes on, the braying intensifies, I’m fine, getting finer.
Then, somehow, I’m drowning loudly as my fellow painters watch and wave.
My pictures drip, unable to find purchase on this glassy surface.
More paint will solve it, strengthen the grip that’s starting to slip.

Later, in fog, the pictures are gone. Tables, chairs, people. Gone.
I ache from all the painting, body and brain burned by effort.
The paint is poisonous, I fear. Best not use it again. Good idea.
I wait for the fog to clear, the ache to slowly dissolve. Bad paint.

Soon enough though, fixed, I return to the canvas and set out my easel.
Time to paint again, it’s a skill I’m blessed with, like all painters.
The tables are here, the chairs, chat, music, all freshly minted.
Just need the paint, just the paint. Just. Ah, here it is - cheers!

About this poem

Alcoholism and self-delusion

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Written on October 10, 2022

Submitted by chrisbillnelson on March 27, 2023

1:33 min read
1

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXAB XXXX BXXX XXXC AXXX XXXX XXXC
Closest metre Iambic heptameter
Characters 1,648
Words 312
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Discuss the poem Piss Artist with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Piss Artist" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 31 Oct. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/156265/piss-artist>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    More poems by

    Christian Nelson

    »

    October 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    0
    days
    5
    hours
    2
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    An expression where the literal meaning is different from the intended meaning is called ________.
    A metaphor
    B simile
    C synonym
    D idiom