Painting You

Are you happy?

I once asked you this while you were lying on my lap as I ran my fingers through your hair, your temples, all the way down to the bridge of your nose.

I remember your face from memory as I paint it on the empty canvass staring in front of me.

And you said, “I’m not.”

So, what if I invite you to my world where colors are bright and laughter is loud? Where there are movies to see and art galleries to visit; where the biggest dreams come true because hope and passion abound; where we can scale the highest mountains and swim the deepest seas.

What if I open up your world as I open mine and let’s explore the beauty that is in everything big and small? It is not always sunny but we can dance in the rain and not care about the people around us. We can bask in the sun when it’s up and at night, count the stars while on our back at a beach with the waves playing at our feet.

Let us splash colors to our worlds that have long been in the shadows of the past, over the yellow flowers, red apples, and green grass. Let us dance like there’s no tomorrow, sing at the top of our lungs, and kiss, and hug, and live, and love.

I look at the still empty canvass before me. I look at my now empty lap and my palms stained with paint.