Unbridled and Free

Don’t harness my creativity,

or stop it from blooming,

I will not copy a Bob Ross painting -

a paint by numbers imitation -

don’t brush outside the lines,

put a tree here and flowers there,

tint it exactly like everyone else.

I want to be free, unrestrained

splash paint on my canvas

splotches of hues and stains

dripping all over the page

tinctures of passion exploding

joyfully intensifying life

not playing follow the leader

walking in Bob’s footprints,

wooed by the master.

His work is exquisite, but

straitjacket doesn’t suit me

I’d feel stifled and lost

I’m not like Bob Ross

and he’s not like me

my painting flows wildly -

unbridled and free.