Art Takes Me to Utopia

I have been painting since I was five.

now, in my early forties.

It took four decades

to earn a few dollars from my art.

That feels great,

even if it came late.

Even without pay,

it comforted me,

in other ways.

In self-expression,

and giving joy to others.

And most of all,

as an escape,

to a utopia,

for we know,

the real world can be rough.

Yes, distractions are there.

But I am not drawn to

those fun, yet sabotaging ones.

I need something nourishing,

and art gave me that escape.

Often, I imagine myself

in a place I long to be,

like this girl,

on a bench in the woods,

reading beneath the moon,

surrounded by peace.