The Saturday poem: Putting Away Pictures

by Maitreyabandhu

When a painting lost its lustre,
it improved, Braque said,
if you put it in the sun
to warm the madder browns
and umbers. People laughed at that.
But paintings do improve
if you put them in a drawer
or like reprimanded
children, turn them to face the wall.
No one rearranges
the forms, adjusts the faulty profile
of a tree, the figure
out of kilter with the ground;
no one modulates
the colour key, takes it down
a pitch or two: shadows
and a wall are all that's needed
to make amends.
The same could be said of you.

• From The Crumb Road published by Bloodaxe, RRP £9.95. To order a copy for £7.45 with free UK p&p call Guardian book service on 0330 333 6846 or go to

Today's best video

Today in pictures

More from The Saturday poem