I don’t need pen and paper
I commit myself to this instrument
Everyone pulls out their phone
All busily tapping
Silence apart from
An ignored phone
Ringing
The queue gets longer
The lab girl flat out registering
Recording collecting
Most heads are bent over their mobiles
A kind lady stands up for me
I must look old
I don’t feel old
Just decrepit
Which is why I am here
Getting a blood test.
A Monet on the wall
Very faded but still brilliant
The blue-grey skeleton of the painting
Now stands out as other colours
Have faded
The curving bridge
Highlights here and there
Not all of them
The dark shadows on the bridge
Roughly drawn in
Then the water
Horizontal lines delineate
The reflections
In progressive patches from
The far horizon
Forward
Then the lilies
Above the surface of the water
The bush behind the bridge
Only a few rushes in front
The light catches the rushes and the trees
Behind the bridge
The shadows deep in
The distance
A small patch of light
Slightly off centre
Points to
the sky above
The whole painting
Brilliant
Peaceful
Assured.
