becoming an artist

you decide to quit
your day job
and become an artist.
you're tired of
working for the man.
you feel it's time
to give back to
the world, to let
your talents shine.
you will paint
portraits, cathedrals,
landscapes. you'll
paint weddings
and funerals,
the world will
ooh and ahh
at your masterpieces.
people will be amazed
at the detail and wonder
if they are photographs.
you go out and
get the best of
everything, brushes,
canvases, an easel.
you buy a purple
beret and set it
on your head,
slightly tilted,
you don't shave or
take a shower
for a few days. you pull
on a black sweater
and tear a hole in
the front. you get
into the habit
of making little
squares with your
fingers, giving
everything a frame.
you squint at the light
as you take a swig
of cheap red wine from
a bottle. you take
everything down
to the river, you
are ready to begin.
and then you realize
that you know nothing
about art, about
paint, about how
to sketch even
a cow, but this
doesn't faze you,
you go buy more wine,
you buy a case. your
hand dips the tip
of a brush into the
red paint and you slash
it onto the canvas.
you have decided that
abstract is more
your style anyway.