Painted Hearts

Posted on 14 February, 2012 by PoetJanstie

(for BJ)

You paint for love and making home
a warm and loving place to be
I paint with words my heart’s relief
at knowing you’re still with me.

And, whilst we seem to play away
with different loves, divergent art,
I know my love for you is true
because you own my heart

You paint for love our family,
for those who’ll know in future time,
I paint that, for eternity,
my heart with yours shall rhyme.

© 2012 John Anstie

About PoetJanstie

“Life is short and art long, the crisis fleeting, experience penniless and decision difficult” ~ Hippocrates. As a young man, John was sporting and fit. It was then as much his recreational therapy as a cappella harmony singing, music, walking in the hills and writing is now. Playing Rugby Union for over twenty years, encouraged in the early days by a school that was run on the same lines and ethos as that famous Scottish public school, Gordonstoun, where our own headmaster had been as a senior master. This gave shape and discipline to a sometimes precarious early life. His fitness was enhanced not only by playing rugby, but also by working part time jobs in farming, as a leather factory packer and security guard, but probably not helped, for a short time, selling ice cream! His professional working life was spent as a Metallurgical Engineer, Marketing Manager, Export Sales Manager, Implementation Manager and Managing Director of his own company. Thirty five years spent, apparently in a creative desert, raising a family, pursuing a career and helping to pay the bills, probably enriched his experience, because his renaissance, on retirement, realised a hidden creative talent as a writer of prose and poetry. He also enjoys music, with a piano and a fifty-two year old Yamaha FG140 acoustic guitar. He sings bass in three a cappella harmony groups: as a founding member of a mixed voice chamber choir, Fox Valley Voices and barbershop quartets. He is also a member of one of the top barbershop choruses in the UK, Hallmark of Harmony (stage name of the Sheffield Barbershop Harmony Club), who, for the eighth time in 41 years, became UK Champions in 2019. He is also a would be (once upon a time or 'has been') photographer with drawers full of his own history, and an occasional, but lapsed 'film' maker. In his other life, he doubles as a Husband, Father, Grandfather, Brother, Uncle, Cousin, Friend and Family man. What he writes is sometimes autobiographical, often political, sometimes dark and frequently pins his colours to the mast of climate change and how a few humans are trashing the Earth. In 2013, he published an anthology of the poetry (including his own) of an international group of poets, who met on Twitter in 2011. He produced, edited and steered the product of this work, "Petrichor Rising", to publication by Aquillrelle. His sort of strap-line reads: “ iWrite iSing iDance iChi iVolunteer ”
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28 Responses to Painted Hearts

  1. Sammy Sutton says:
    21 February, 2012 at 12:56 am

    A lovely rhythmic tribute, I love the comfortable tone it conveys through the lighthearted beat. Fabulous!

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  4. charlesmashburn says:
    17 February, 2012 at 12:50 pm

    Wonderful, John! I love love poems, and write many of them. This is similar to many I’ve penned for my dear wife, so obviously, I think it’s great!

    Here’s her valentine poem for this year: http://charleslmashburn.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/i-cant-do-this-anymore/

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  5. Anonymous says:
    15 February, 2012 at 9:40 pm

    a sweet and satisying poesy. love is definitely in the air and in your lines. : )

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  6. oceangirl says:
    15 February, 2012 at 5:18 am

    A beautiful painting.

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    • PoetJanstie says:
      15 February, 2012 at 11:27 am

      I take that as a compliment, oceangirl. As economic in your choice of words for comment as in your own poetry, which is rather good I have to say. You exemplify the brevity that poetry sometimes needs to be effective.

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  7. Pat Hatt says:
    15 February, 2012 at 4:57 am

    A wonderully touching verse indeed and great rhyme too. Hopefully the rhyme you speak of will last forever as well.

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  8. brian miller says:
    15 February, 2012 at 3:18 am

    smiles…this is a beautiful love poem…we each have our arts but in that there is more similar than apart…may your rhyme forever last…

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  9. hedgewitch says:
    15 February, 2012 at 3:08 am

    A loving poem– very appropriate.

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  10. eden baylee says:
    14 February, 2012 at 7:37 pm

    Delightful words and so heartfelt. Really gives wonderful meaning to this day of love,
    eden

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    • PoetJanstie says:
      14 February, 2012 at 11:06 pm

      They are heartfelt, Eden, it’s true and full of meaning for me. Interestingly, this is one that came to me as soon as I woke up this morning, in short time, short but sweet. So, whilst I may have thought about writing a poem for today, days ago, I didn’t actually plan it. That’s me I guess ;-).

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  11. Quirina says:
    14 February, 2012 at 12:54 pm

    A lovely poem, John. May there be paint, all colours of the rainbow, so that you can both continue to paint the music of your souls, together forever. Q x

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  12. thecatspurr says:
    14 February, 2012 at 10:35 am

    This is a fabulous expression of the feelings in your heart. Not all are so lucky to experience that. You are a special poet.

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  13. Melpomene Selemids says:
    14 February, 2012 at 10:31 am

    Beautiful John! Eloquent and elegant. Happy Valentine’s Day!

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  14. 1emeraldcity says:
    14 February, 2012 at 10:11 am

    A beautiful tribute to the love of your life…and I thank you for sharing this, John. It’s contagious, I think. Very loving and heartfelt. x o x o

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  15. Beth Winter says:
    14 February, 2012 at 9:38 am

    Oh, a morning smile, The warmth of love and understanding flows as easily as your rhyme. Beautiful.

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