Artist in the Making

By Asma Shatwan

Because I’m an artist I paint on a smile in scarlet and magenta,

And as an actress, I don’t let the curtain of tears fall, not even after the show.

The make-up hides the scars. Red and raw is now beige and pale,

And the gaping hole in my chest, I dress it in layers of silk.

As a playwright, I have a script for every move I make. I only get one shot at this, there are no retakes.

As a photographer, I capture life in silent, frozen frames for when my memory fails me.

As a dancer, I move to the rhythm, ignoring the dull ache in my limbs.

As a musician, my life is presented in notes. High and low, representing my rise and fall.

As a puppeteer, I pull the heart strings of everyone I meet, winding the strings gently around each finger.

As a carpenter, I chip away at my worries. Not a single move I make can be undone.

As a poet, I present life in lines for you to read what’s in between them.

I live this way because art is everlasting.

Indestructible.

Immortal.

And so am I.

Asma Shatwan is an art student and poet based in Manchester. She has been writing poems since 2011. Her creative practice consists of everything from drawing to photography to printmaking. 

She runs a poetry blog here