I Am The Barn Owl

I AM THE BARN OWL 

A giclee print of a barn owl

Hangs in the den above the bar,

The resemblance is not physical

Yet the similarity is by far,

A portrait of me.

Indelible is the signature that is my name,

The eyes of the owl and mine are the same.

I am delighted at how it could be,

A figment of my mind, stares back at me!

The portrait is a concept with flaws,

A raptor, without it's talons and claws

Instead, my artistic perception was,

A soft impression when your eyes pause.

As soft as gossamer falling on heather

Is the heart shaped face, of downy feather,

With wide, mysteriously piercing eyes

Gazing from behind a medium guise.

The portrait was drawn in a dark state of mind,

And just like the barn owl, I too could find 

Solace, in a nocturnal universe,

In a daily routine, I could not immerse.

Devoid of emotion, the face of the owl is mine.

In delineation and gradation of value to line,

Each pen stroke drawn, was masterfully cared,

But the owl appeared to be spooked and scared

It had felt my struggle, to bring it to life

It bled, as each pen stroke, cut like a knife.

Illustrating the owl, I had no control

Over a disturbia, that I could not take hold.

But then—

Adding the finishing touches changed my fate,

Stippling the detail, I would slowly create;

Without anxiety or the compulsion to worry,

I paced myself slowly and refused to hurry.

My precious original was left behind

In the carrying tube, for Dianne to find;

She promised to keep it 'til I would call,

Even better, said, "It would hang on her wall".

The original was lost in life's ordeal.

I recall when sketching "The Owl", I could feel

With every pen stroke of feather to face,

A creative rage from my soul taking place!

"The Owl" is my masterpiece,

My savior, my thesis;

Part of a trilogy, with two other pieces:

"The Owl" "The Jackal" and "The Fly"

Gone are the demons from my mind's eye.

And liberated, from a dark place, am I!

©Isabella George

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