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One Thousand Pictures

I can paint one thousand pictures
But I use only these words
I’ll sing to you a symphony
That no one else has heard
This gallery, a sanctuary
Tucked in these city streets
An artist from a distant land
I had the chance to meet
Foyers wrapped in luscious vines
The ascent of mountain ridges
Sunsets warm the hills and halls
The glow of blazing bridges
Geometry meets philosophy
Soft curves of unclad women
Staircases only few can climb
Tides I’ll one day swim in
To quiet minds these photos speak
All hear a different story
So badly we wish we could stay
Bask in eternal glory
Yet when we go our separate ways
We’ll leave feeling repaired
United by this sacred space
And the stories that it shared
I can paint one thousand pictures
My brushstrokes are my words
Yet its rare we stop to listen
And so much goes unheard

©2023 by Ilana McCullough.

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