Poet Jim Lewis Encounters Andrew Wyeth "In the Evening"

Jim Lewis is a poet, musician, and nurse practitioner. His poetry and music reflect the difficulty and joy of human interactions and often draw inspiration from his decades of experience in healthcare. When he is not writing, composing, or diagnosing, he is often on a kayak, exploring and photographing the waterways near his home in Northern California. His work has appeared in Spark! A Creative Anthology, Vol I, and will appear in anthologies by Red Dashboard and Arachne Press later this year. Says Lewis, “I love reading and my children are all avid readers, as are my grandchildren, especially the two in the photo.” The following poem was inspired by the discovery of Andrew Wyeth's "Helga" paintings.

andrew in the evening

Braids, 1979, by Andrew Wyeth

her place:

evening is hard he said

moving between this world

and the other

guarding my words

tending with such care

the fences i have built

to make this little place

in our lives

i weary of the deception

but no solutions come

conscience urges me

to give you up

pull the curtain

cover the inspiration you are

and paint my kitchen window

or the pastor's children

but then

something of me would die –

On Her Knees, 1977, by Andrew Wyeth

he paused and noticed

she was quietly arranging

her hair and her collar

smiling at the familiar monologue

knowing he would return

that she would give him

what she could give

no fear and no regret

paint what your heart sees

she said simply

i will be here

his place:

evening is hard he said

stopping to kiss her hello

and sample the stew that simmered

like his passion for beauty

i am driven to create

and some days it just doesn't work

the colors are wrong

the light in the waves

mocks me and eludes me

maybe i should paint the kitchen window

or the pastor's children –

he paused and noticed

she was quietly arranging

the plates at table

knowing he would never quit

until he got it right

she would continue to give him

all she could give

no recrimination

no looking back

paint what your heart sees

she said simply
i will be here