I Want to Live in an Edward Hopper Painting
Tony Peyser
Margaret Reid Poetry Contest for Traditional Verse 2012 (view all the winners)
Most Highly Commended
Ed, I've loved your work for decades
And so much do I admire you
That someday a painting of yours will
Be the place I hope to retire to.
Gas stations, drugstores & offices
A cheap chop suey joint.
Automats, diners, hotels & motels
I'll gladly help you anoint.
I've collected many books about you &
Never minded the cost.
In mirrors, I practice my Hopper-esque
Look of looking lost.
I've purchased clothing from the years
When these artworks were done.
I stand on steps by trees and buildings
In the slanting afternoon sun.
I listen for things off in the distance.
I put down what I'm reading while
I gaze into neighbors' open windows.
I try to think of a number to dial.
As the colors of sunset flicker across
My empty apartment wall
I remember things I forgot and forget
Things I once could recall.
I'll linger in lobbies and on street corners
For whatever may be your plan—
Take your time as you do your sketches:
Whatever's needed, I'm your man.
I'll always do my best to look my best—
Even when to my chagrin it
Is clear you like the light in some paintings
More than the people in it.
I'll follow in your footsteps wherever
You and your wife might walk—
An empty cup waiting to be filled, just
An on the town weary nighthawk.
