Verbalizing Nature

Acrylic resin on birch wood.

26x20x1.50"

This is one of many paintings I did for my Isolation Series during the CoVid pandemic. I wrote poems to coincide with my feelings at the time.

Verbalizing Nature

When your world turns upside down
And there are no words to describe
The place you find yourself in
When the familiar becomes unknown
And safety turns to fear
When visiting in numbers
Comes down to one
And you are talking to yourself
Solitary
Alone
Always remember
You can verbalize nature

Nature is familiar with the shifts you are going through
She has been driven into deep despair
With the fast approaching winds
And the turbulence of storm
With no warning at all
She has embarked on journeys that seem insurmountable
Raging fire
The high flood of a river

But when everything has been burnt down
Tossed and churned
Floated away
Then we are left with the burning desire to rebuild

And we can say the words out loud
I managed
I came through the depths
I was challenged
I survived.

- Barbara Mitchell