Responder: Kath Balamuth – The Universe in a Pen

Initiator Author: Senait Mesfin Piccigalo
Writing Title: Beloved Writer
Price: NFS

Responder Artist: Kath Balamuth
Artwork Title: The Universe in a Pen
Size: 18 x 18″
Medium: Acrylic on panel
Price: $355

When the sunrise kisses my face
The sea whispers in my ear words of grace
Healing my heart and captivating my mind’s space
My heart gently nudges my body to the corner.
To scribble whatever heck comes to my mind before it is washed away by the water.

I love it, I love it! I scream with joy, with the child’s curiosity.
I really want to do this, I say.
Wait, what? I started fretting over what I will say.
“But what will I write? ” but I am not even a poet or a writer yet”! I insist.
Oh, my God, what will people say? Hassled by doubts and questions

The sea patiently and faithfully sends in the tides,
the wind brings its best gentle embrace
washing away my skeptic and agnostic ways
barriers down, welcome, ecstasy; a state of elated bliss
My hands move by themselves as if they have no owner
Words meet the paper, gushing like running water
feeling something moving in my chest. Is that what they call a muse?
I don’t know; I felt like I was in a fairy tale.

Something generously lending me its eloquence.
Turning me into silver-tongued in seconds
Humbled and carved like a magical bamboo flute
words of wisdom came through me like a beautiful symphony that grabs its listeners
I made a song, sang with birds, and danced in the air
I swam in the deepest seas, and I dreamt of talking to the fish
and run with the wildest deer

I become one with something foreign and yet so familiar.
I saw the whole universe pass through me,
alluring me towards it, determined to introduce me to its beloved writer.

© 2022 Senait Mesfin Piccigallo