Scott Simpson · Poetry
Paint-by-Number
Use For Kindling · source pages 88
All poetryThe original line breaks, stanza spacing, and placement are preserved. Long lines scroll horizontally.
Source page 88
Paint-by-Number
At first, I followed the guide—
boxes to check, colors to fill,
rubrics with lines like fences.
But then came the lesson
that bled outside everything.
Someone cried. Someone cheered.
Someone finally understood.
And none of it was in the plan.
Learning doesn’t ask for permission
to go off-page. It just waits for
the courage to begin.
Copyright Scott Simpson, All Rights Reserved
