My Life With Matisse by Sheila Wellehan

Seated Woman with a Vase of Amaryllis, by Henri Matisse, 1941.

My Life with Matisse
 
I drink Matisse first thing in the morning
I breathe Matisse all day long
I eat Matisse in the evening
I dream Matisse midnight to dawn.
 
I require the red of beets, blood, and tomatoes
The green of emeralds, limes, and pines
Lemon yellow, fuchsia, and orange
Every blue, from deep ocean to pale sky.
 
I crave anemone and amaryllis and goldfish
I must have bathers and dancers and nudes
Patterned upholstery, carpets, and wallpaper
Lush flowers blooming inside and out.
 
When I gaze at Matisse, he frees me
Even in faded art books or on a computer screen
Matisse feeds me, he heals me, he leads me
He teaches me to invent what I need.

Sheila Wellehan

Sheila Wellehan is a poet who lives in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Her work has appeared or will appear soon in Chiron Review, Poetry East, Rat's Ass Review, and Yellow Chair Review.