Thirteen
To Pablo Picasso from his father, 1895

Take my paints. Take them.
And the brushes. Everything.
At thirteen years you surpass me.
Already
you are more than I will ever be.
A teacher with a clever pupil
must resist envy and jealousy,
so I pass you my greatest gifts:
the tools and the chance.

Your dark eyes learned.
Strong workman's hands
ground the pigments
and stretched the canvas.
Now, with eyes and hands,
belief and heart,
you can build a world.

Do not forget the horse and the bull.
Remember the blueness of blue,
the warmth of rose.
You must not be seduced
by surface grace,
but must look beneath;
reveal the inside.
Love your freedom,
but bear duty's burden.
Paint not only the beauty,
but also the horror.

I taught you how to paint.
Now teach the world to see.


Reprinted from Bloodroot Literary Magazine #6,
Copyright David Olsen 2012.
Reprinted from Unfolding Origami,
Cinnamon Press, Copyright David Olsen 2015.