Art Makes No Mistakes

By Reese Walker

Posted on September 1, 2023

Cover Image Title: Palais

Cover Image by Kareena Suresh

Classification: Photography

Specifications: 3024 pixels x 4032 pixels, 72 dpi

Year: 2023

The first stroke is all wrong.

And the second.

And the third.

You say the colour’s off.

As is the outline.

As are the proportions.

I didn’t know you went to art school?

You haven’t.

Nor have I.

But I know the artist did.

Why would they create something so beautiful,

yet so wrong…

in only your eyes?

Was every line a mistake?

You hate each dot,

each mark a tragedy,

and every drop of paint burns your eyes.

You say the canvas was doomed to begin with.

But it’s a masterpiece, like any other.

Your body is a canvas,

and you only see its reflection

never its true beauty.

I don’t know why you hate what you see

in the mirror

because it is a work of art.

Description:

A conversation-like poem about how we are created, not to be perfect, but to love what we have been given— not to hate it. Any insecurity, which we all have a lot of, is not a flaw or mistake, but instead the thoughtful design of the artist. “The artist” referenced in this poem, is to be interpreted as a creator, or divine being, who designed every living thing on this planet. “You” is referencing the reader’s perspective on their body (or ‘the artwork’) and “I” references the author’s perspective on how “you” are beautifully made. Everything put into the drawing is intentional to show readers that what they see in the mirror is human, before anything else.

[ * The End * ]

[Writing Editor: Kimberly Nguyen]