Imaginary Paintings
by Lisel Mueller
1. How I would Paint the Future
A strip of horizon and a figure,
seen from the back, forever approaching.
2. How I would Paint Happiness
Something sudden, a windfall,
a meteor shower. No –
a flowering tree releasing
all its blossoms at once,
and the one standing beneath it
unexpectedly robed in bloom,
transformed into a stranger
too beautiful to touch.
3. How I would Paint Death
White on white or black on black.
No ground, no figure. An immense canvas,
which I will never finish.
4. How I would Paint Love
I would not paint love.
5. How I would Paint the Leap of Faith
A black cat jumping up three feet
to reach a three-inch shelf.
6. How I would Paint the Big Lie
Smooth, and deceptively small
so that it can be swallowed
like something we take for a cold.
An elongated capsule,
an elegant cylinder,
sweet and glossy,
that pleases the tongue
and goes down easy,
never mind
the poison inside.
7. How I would Paint Nostalgia
An old-fashioned painting, a genre piece.
People in bright and dark clothing.
A radiant bride in white
standing above a waterfall,
watching the water rush
away, away, away.
– Lisel Mueller, Alive Together
I love this poem. My favorites are #2 about Happiness (that meteor shower, robed in bloom) and #6 about The Big Lie (capturing current politics).
What about you? Any favorites?
Deborah J. Brasket 
I’m partial to number 4. 🙂
Yes, I like that one too. Spare yet poignant.
It makes me wonder: has someone painted love? What would that painting be? I’ll have to think about that.
It would be interesting to attempt to do so, wouldn’t it.
The painting made me realize (or at least believe) that Whistler was attuned to Turner.
As for the poem, especially part 2, consider comparing the ending of James Wright’s “A Blessing.”
I feel that way too, especially with this painting. That poem by Wright was so tender and lovely. Thank you for sharing it here. It reminds me of another poem about cows at night. I’ll copy the link here when I find it.
Deborah – I have this collection of poetry also! What a flower-sister sort of thing, eh? 🙂
Thank you for reminding me of this collection. I immediately pulled it off my ‘special’ shelf, next to the Mary Oliver and opened it. It’s been a very long time since I read any of Lisel Mueller’s poems. I am delighted to find little sticky note tabs singling out certain phrases within poems along with certain poems. Now I’ll re-read these with a different set of eyes!
That’s so funny! Which book do you have? I’d love to read more of her.
Her “Alive Together – New and Selected Poems” pub 1996. I even purchased it that year at the Boulder Bookstore – a favorite bookstore of mine that still exists!