Cliché

Cliché
Catherine Turk

I live my life
In fear of being “cliché.”
I live my life
Dressing different,
Talking different,
To avoid the tragic label
Of being “Like something, but not really
In a good way.”

Unfortunately then,
My creative process
Often falls under the harsh scrutiny
Of my analytical mind,
My calculating brain,
Checking, gauging, reevaluating,
Does this flower pass the test
Of being unlike any flower ever drawn?
Or is it too much like the flower
I found on Pinterest
(To use as reference, you see)
And therefore,
Is it really my flower?

The Romans didn’t care about that,
When they took the Greek Gods
And gave them different names
For copyright purposes I assume.
Matthew and Luke didn’t have an issue
When they changed some words
In the book of Mark
And called their Gospels
“Eyewitness accounts of what really happened.”

And I suppose the landscape painter
Doesn’t really care if his field looks
Like her field only a little worse.
And all those cover artists that make
Different versions of “Canon in D”
Seem to get paid well enough.
But at the risk of sounding cliché,
Sometimes I just really want to write
A sappy, basic love poem.
(And while it pains me to admit it,
One day, I want to paint a leaf
And not care that I wasn’t the one
Who invented leaves in the 1st place.)

Catherine Turk is a passionate and brilliant artist, poet, plant-rescuer, dreamer, and friend, with a hear for people and an eye for beauty. She lives in Portland, OR with her very lucky husband and very spoiled cat.
Photo by Catherine Turk–Check out her Instagram here!