“Rosewood” an artwork, a poem and a song by Tony Chapman.

Painting

“Dancers kissing” by Tony Chapman (oil on Canvas)

Poem


Andromeda’s Cave – poem by Tony Chapman.

Andromeda’s Cave

1.
Unbearable sadness. 
25 years: GONE ... please God ...

2.
I pleasantly wave:
 
from the ditch 
to the chandelier,
from the hemp sacks (empty and piled high), 
to the silk,
from the gloating, uninformed ones,
to the big turquoise bird.
and the tiny scarlet bird, 
(sharing the same tree).

I happily sit at the feet of giants 
and count my blessings 
and pour them into my tiny silk bag, 
and put it in my inside pocket for safe keeping.
 
I pleasantly turn in my sleep and dream 
of heavy curtains being drawn back
to reveal a morning sun.

" Hello, Sun," I say. 

"Greetings from Andromeda’s Cave," 
  the Sun answers.

Song

“First Place” by Tony Chapman

First Place:  words and music by Tony Chapman

I'm gonna make me free, I'm gonna make me be 
What I wanted to be in the first place
I'm in the first place now

Everyone I teamed up with 
I thought would make things right
They must surely know the answer, 
help me see the light
But I stayed stuck at the beginning, 
now I’m on my feet and I'm singing

I'm gonna make me free, I'm gonna make me be 
What I wanted to be in the first place
I'm in the first place now

I tried out what the government said, 
I tried out television
I tried out what newspapers read, 
I let them cloud my vision
I tried to be a rebel without a cause, 
now I'm coming back,  through the front doors

Listen to your soul, she knows best
Someone said the mind will turn on you if its needs are not expressed

Inst:  

I listened to my parents, I listened to the teachers
I listened to my girlfriend, I listened to the preachers
A good Christian boy, I never sinned
Now I'm only going to listen to the wind

I'm gonna make me free, I'm gonna make me be 
What I wanted to be in the first place
I'm in the first place now
I'm in the first place now,  I'm in the first place now

“Amethyst” Picture, Poem and Song

Portrait (oil on canvas) by Tony Chapman

 Ireland Holiday. 
 Poem by Tony Chapman - finished.
  
 Ireland Holiday.
  
 All good things 
 come 
 to an end. 
  
 Sheer: 
 vicious 
 barbed wire 
 rusty edges. 
  
 A happy time was had by all 
 all good things come to an end.  
  
 Bare your teeth 
 bite the hand 
 that doles out good times 
 then takes them back. 
  
 Put: 
 the sunset: 
 into a black, lead-lined box. 
 Bury it out on the mud flats. 
  
 Put: 
 the grey stone hills 
 the curlew's call 
 the rock wall 
 the torn sky 
 the seabird‘s cry 
 the warm wind 
 the salt sea 
 the soft arm 
 the breath of life 
 the embrace 
 the laughter 
 that releases 
 dry leaves and flying bullets 
  
 into a black box 
 (lead-lined for preservation) 
 and bury it 
 far out , 
 on the mud flats
 deep
 so it won't be found
 for a million years 
  
 then 
 wander back 
 to the concrete jungle:
 twisting of limbs 
 paintscraper of skins 
 sandpaper of bones. 
  
 All good things
  
 come 
  
 to an end.
  
                               (Ireland).

Verse 4 of Love Has Caught Me …. verse 5 in next Blog

then I meet your eyes, and all the skies they no longer cave-in on me

and I touch your skin, you let me in and I’m living in exstacy

LOVE HAS CAUGHT ME

“Turquoise” Picture, Poem and Song

Picnic Poem 
by Tony Chapman. 
 

having a picnic 
high up, on a vertical wall

we sit horizontally, 
watching our hard-boiled eggs 
fall

"Whoops, there goes the jam, 
and the packets of chrisps" 

trying to drink orange juice, 
but it pours out of the mug
in gravity's general direction.

having a picnic under the sea
the fish swim by and smile at me
then my salad floats away, 
my raw food crackers too
and a friendly octopus 
drinks my orange juice

having a picnic on the cold north pole
my orange juice is frozen solid
so I make a hole 

in the ice 

to fish through ...