Impressionistic Living | Teen Ink

Impressionistic Living

June 18, 2016
By crdfsu PLATINUM, Ormond Beach, Florida
crdfsu PLATINUM, Ormond Beach, Florida
22 articles 0 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
"No matter what anyone tells you, words and ideas can change the world." -Robin Williams, Dead Poet's Society


If there were one thing 
I could choose to be for the rest of my life,
I would be an Impressionist:
Not by way of  paint brush,
but by way of my every waking action.

I want to live
as Monet, Manet,
Renoir, and Degas
painted: not for the appearance,
but for the feeling.

I want to see the world
as Monet saw the French waters at sunrise:
not as a mere scene
to be exactly replicated
for the pride of mastery,
but as a feeling—
as a personal interpretation.

I wish to live, day-by-day,
recognizing more
than just the shell
of a moment in time:
I wish to see more
than just its appearance—
I wish to feel its atmosphere,
I wish to linger in the light it radiates.

If there were one thing I could wish for,
it would be this:
For the strength to live
with strokes of lightness,
with colors that don’t match
what can obviously be seen,
but with colors that fit
my intuitions.

I wish to see waves
lapping against the shore,
and instead of lingering on the formation
in which they crash,
I will hear whispers of laughter
and grasp the salt-soaked pleasures
of a fleeting moment on the sand.

I will not allow
the material worries,
the visual shell of a moment,
or the preconceived notions
of what is “right”
To distract me from appreciating
the simplest,
most profound
aspects of life

For it is these wonders:
Laughter on a lazy sunday afternoon,
the glint of light on water,
the graceful movement of a dancer’s leg,
the serenity of a cathedral at dusk:
These sort of pure, everyday,
simple pleasures,
that are too often overlooked.

I will not paint my days
in a rigidly “realistic” manner,
but in a truthfully
unrealistic manner:
I will paint my days
by how things feel to me,
not by how they appear
to anyone else.

So if I had to choose
one thing to be in this life,
I would say this:

I wish to be an Impressionist.
I wish to make my own impressions.



Similar Articles

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 2 comments.


on Jun. 28 2016 at 6:32 pm
crdfsu PLATINUM, Ormond Beach, Florida
22 articles 0 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
"No matter what anyone tells you, words and ideas can change the world." -Robin Williams, Dead Poet's Society

Thank you so much

KMG28 SILVER said...
on Jun. 21 2016 at 11:59 am
KMG28 SILVER, Brooklyn, New York
8 articles 0 photos 34 comments

Favorite Quote:
“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than I

I was looking for a poem like this. You made me relate, imagine, and wanting to view more of your work. Keep writing about things that you are passionate about. Thanks.