The sky behind the clouds
Was baby blue and the clouds
Were peach and stately canvas for the sun
And the sun was marching
Away from palette and brush
And the palette was drying out
But the brush was still full of oil
And the oil mixed in the bristles
And mixed on the canvas
But the bristles could not know
The magic they delivered to me that evening –
A magic undisturbed by streets
And shadows and dim lights
That paint shadows from above the street –
A magic trailing off to west
And the peach clouds followed
As sheep relaxed and pure
Wander to the stable and find rest.
Todd Anderson (Stuff of the Rind, Sand and Sail, The Reluctant Prophet) writes the newsletter Mirth to share a behind-the-scenes look at his writing process as well as to offer readers the first fruits of his poetry and reflections. He grew up in the forests of small-town Ontario, contending against nature in all its beauty and harshness. His training as a literary scholar of Latin and English literature inflects his love of poignant turns of phrase, but it is the influence of his family and their myriad adventures together that infuses his story-telling and poetry with its substance and power. Todd lives and writes in Ottawa with his wife and six children. If you are interested in supporting Todd’s work, please follow the links below to donate or buy his books.
Todd Edward Anderson 