Paint by Numbers #4216 by Gregory Stapp

vintage paint-by-number wildlife scene.

Paint by Numbers #4216
               (of a Zebra and the Moon)
 
The moon will hang in grays. The grass,
by night, won’t wither to ochre.
 
The colour pack consists of black,
the sum of colours in one cup,
then white, the subtraction of black,
and grays a ratio of those.
 
The sky will weave a pool of light,
whitened by the moon’s reflection.
 
The 1's are where you’ll paint the black.
2 is for light gray, and 3 for dark.
The numberless remain as white
and colorless as the paper.
 
This will show how beauty may be
constructed from absence and fullness.
 
Take the systematic approach,
complete the set of each number
individually, or paint it
object by object, left to right.
 
The zebra will stare out and hold
as if stilled by movement and sound.
 
The moon doesn't end in its shade.
Everything here starts in numbered
amorphous shapes, collectively
a zebra, crescent moon, and grass,
 
the noiseless art of stroke on stroke,
a dollop of paint to wash away.

Gregory Stapp


Gregory Stapp received his BA from the University of Oklahoma and his MFA from Queens University of Charlotte. His poems have appeared in Outside In Literary and Travel Magazine, the Gutters and Alleyways anthology, Limehawk Journal, Shot Glass, and Rat’s Ass Review, among others. He recently served as the Poetry Editor for Qu: A Literary Magazine.