LORENA VELEZ
DEAR CANVAS
Dear canvas,
I saw you for the first time one Friday afternoon
You were standing in front of me
You showed yourself naked, simple, and completely vulnerable.
Humble canvas,
you were looking at me patiently
I remember that
There was a silence, a moment, the magic of the first contact.
Spiritual canvas,
Clear and pure
A piece of cloth on the wood
Hundred speechless words said all at once.
Empty canvas,
A place to start
Nothing and everything
I see a thousand images on your raw fabric, on your white threads.
Little canvas,
Full of immensity
The whole world lives in you
Infinite possibilities, unlimited spaces, colors, and shapes.
Generous canvas,
Willing to be touched
Opened to that first mark
You gave me more than I ever thought.
Dear canvas,
Freedom and happiness when we first met
One Friday afternoon
I’ll never forget.
NATURE
Come to me Mother Nature
Holy woman from the sky
Hold my hand since I need you
Wrap me in leaves when I cry.
Come to me Mother Nature
Let me remember who I am
Whisper quiet through the wind
Touch my eyes with your light.
Come to me Mother Nature
Earthy colors from the ground
I can feel them with my fingers
Rock and soil, gray and brown.
Come to me Mother Nature
Take me far to your land
Where the power of the silence
Helps me listen to the stars.
Come to me Mother Nature
Be my friend be my guide
So my body and my spirit
Blend together in a hug.
Come to me Mother Nature
Holy woman from the sky
Share your beauty that inspires
Make the artist free to fly.
BLIND
Looking closely, looking deeply
I open wide my two black eyes
Standing still when I’m observing
But my heart is feeling blind.
Other eyes are finding beauty
From a pose or from a land
My ideas are so empty
They are not connected to my sight.
They will tell me to keep trying
There is magic through this path
But the barriers of a birdcage
Hold my wings down very tight.
Let me keep my eyes so closed
Let me look now from inside
Where my memories are breathing
Where my dreams are now alive.
In a strange world of abstractions
Where no limits yet are built
Nothing real, all invented
Endless stories come to me.
Let me paint while I imagine
What my eyes cannot believe
I raise my voice while I am singing
I see my spirit dancing free.
WOMAN WITH DOTS
Green touches the threads of the cloth with an impulse.
I see mossy trees and growing grasses in deep woods.
A giant figure dominates the rectangle with its presence.
Coming out of nature, I see the king of the forest.
We meet each other and stay together for some time.
One day, I tell the image to leave with the sunset.
The cleared space gently brings to me other images.
They come to visit and I receive them with hope.
Some of them only pass by, but others stay longer.
I see distant rooftops, lonely roads, and strange people.
A dark lemon yellow and a soft earthy pink visit me too.
For some reason, they all leave me, never to come back.
Filled with profound emptiness, I am alone in the room.
I have no images, colors, or ideas, but great despair.
“Oh, my canvas! My loyal friend! ” I see faith in you.
Even under heavy winds, you still believe in me.
After some days of sorrow, fresh air comes from the sky.
With generosity, some avid papers come to my rescue.
They kindly bring beautiful wings for me to fly.
They give surprises through their lines and textures.
A bright lemon green makes an entrance to the scene.
Black and white follow him to find hidden new shapes.
Without good results, frustration knocks on my door.
I don’t let it in and keep my lock very closed.
I let the darkness of the night call my sweet dreams.
Trying to listen to the voice of the stars, I fall asleep.
The sun of the morning opens my eyes to discover,
A stunning image looking at me to tell me a story.
There is a woman standing with massive greatness.
The blackness of her body shows all her strength.
I add some dots of happiness to make her smile.
A white dress reveals her pure soul from inside.
Behind the woman, another figure suddenly appears.
He talks to the woman in a language with no sounds.
Little moments of light gray spark all over the place.
A safe home is found in a landscape of quiet clouds.
For so long, images have been waiting for each other.
In the same way, I have patiently waited for them.
The woman with dots looks at me filled with pride.
My work is done. My heart can rest, at least tonight.
