The Path to Nirvana, an Ekphrastic Poem
The Path to Nirvana
The forest home
of the path to Nirvana
is vermillion, lavender,
cerulean, and chartreuse,
not because it is an impossible forest
but because anything truly seen
deranges expectation,
enchants perception,
and calls old eyes back to see again,
how we only learn birth
is not the beginning
and death is not the end
in the terrifying middle of life.
Here the forest dreams
a soft ceiling for itself
and the pathway sings us
as songs of traveling
with fears and loves
as familiar as a folk refrain.
Would the path to Nirvana
be one ever unwinding
and never arriving?
The time of waiting
in evening air for a ripe lover
reveals itself to be eternity
not seven o'clock. We are never late
to life or enlightenment.
At least that’s what we pray for.
Hand in hand we dance
with the vermillion trees
to their lavender lovers
to be taught the cerulean truth.
”The Path to Nirvana” was written after the painting The Path to Nirvana by Mark Mehaffey as part of the for the Ekphrastic invitational event during the exhibition Between Us held at the Crooked Tree Art Center, Traverse City, in Michigan. The painting is included here with permission of the artist.
This is a large painting, 27in x 36in plus 5 inches of matting and a sturdy frame. The work struck me the moment I saw it as both descriptive and fantastical, familiar and alien. I was reminded of classic era Disney features that meant a lot to me as a child, such as Fantasia and Alice in Wonderland, as well as various otherworldly experiences I had later in life. The poem that resulted touched on themes of perception and appreciation. I introduced briefly two characters, new lovers, to ground the themes in a relatable personal experience.
The painter, Mark Mehaffey, a retired public school teacher and renowned figure in the world of watercolor painting, was moved enough by my poem to present the painting to me as a gift, which I accepted with surprise and gratitude. We only met for the first time through this creative exchange. It amazes us both that two artists can understand something of each other’s perception and perspective merely through their works. What an honor and delight. I hope others enjoy the painting and poem as much as we both have.
