He sets his easel sideways
to borrow sunlit breath;
his palette tastes of endings
but never hints of death
Each stroke reclaims a morning
each hue invents a peace;
he paints what silence teaches—
that beauty needs release
A fox inspects his shadow
a crow approves his tone;
the forest frames his canvas
the wind signs “not alone ”
By dusk he packs the wonder
and walks where rivers bend—
the leaf becomes his teacher
and color is the friend