Today Would've Been... Poem by Clyde King

Today would've been ok
If I had stayed in bed,
Read some Charles Bukowski,
Studied some more of
The "Artist's Manual Of
Design and Composition."

It's good stuff really if
You're a serious artist,
But if you're a hack
Don't bother because
You won't get it anyway.

Some guy was watching
Me paint the other day
And asked what I was doing.
Not wanting to be condescending
To this chap
I said "I'm painting "plein air."

I was waiting for his question
"What does ‘plein air' mean? "
But he never asked.

I guess he didn't want to appear
As dull as he already appeared,
So he said, "Oh, ok"
Like he was Claude Monet
And abruptly walked away.

Wow! I just made a triolet
That rhymed without
Even trying!

Feb.2019