A Masterpiece

This poem was inspired by a story called "Paint Me a Masterpiece" in Gordon MacKenzie's book Orbiting the Giant Hairball. The last line in the poem is definitely the most important one...

Even before I crawl out of the womb,

into a much larger more comfortable room,

I am given a blank canvas from God.

When I ask what it's for, He just smiles and nods.

I trust his calm faith and I emerge with my page,

but I begin to realize, I feel stuck in a cage.

At first I'm confused what this blank sheet is for,

and I drag it around finding it quite a chore.

As I grow, other people draw lines on my sheet,

and tell me to color inside them all neat.

Number by number I draw quite afraid,

that if I mess up, I'll get a bad grade.

This quickly gets old and I question my worth:

what difference am I going to make on this earth?

If I can't even create my own colorful art,

how am I going to find what truly rests in my heart?

Lost and confused, I again turn to God.

And again, He calmly smiles and nods.

Completely forgiving, with no thought of the past,

He gives me a new sheet, and says, "Have a blast!"

"This canvas is yours, it's your life, go release!

I only ask that you paint Me a masterpiece.

It's your choice; just remember, no matter what you do,

no one can paint your masterpiece, but you."

--DW 3/09