The soul is a great canvas,
and what you choose to paint upon it
leaves a piece of artwork for generations to study.
Some souls only paint with darkness—
hatred, corruption, lies—
and their canvases are swirling in incomprehensible ugliness,
leaving our hearts hurting at the sight.
Some won’t paint much of anything,
because they lived their lives in fear and selfishness
and never thought that creating was worth much time or effort,
their canvases mostly blank and wasted.
Some will try to outdo all others
and vie for a place amongst the stars.
Their canvases are bold and flashy,
but does it mean anything when you look at it long and hard?
Some will just keep living day after day after day,
gradually adding to their lives
a complex, thought-out work of pain, triumph, love.
They may or may not be well-known or famous,
but they will leave something rare behind:
Their lives are true masterpieces,
filling every stroke with meaning,
showing future generations
that a life lived in creating beauty truly takes one’s breath away.
Photo by Adobe Stock/anoushkatoronto
