A Canvas, A Board-Game, & Decisions Poem by Nika McGuin

Italian restaurant, somewhere in Mexico
table for one, window seat

As he takes his seat
he is struck with awe
laid out before him
is a blank canvas...

Is it swathed in white
or like him, waiting to be painted?

Perception is everything
in this obscure game titled life
And if life is truly a game
it is one void of rules - of answers
except for the ones we ourselves create

On a board game
where we're all colorful game pieces
our destination is always the same
but with a roll of the die
we land in different places
make different choices
lead different lives

There isn't a left or right
corner on the block
we simply are, where we are
on this endless roadmap:

"You are here"
Might as well make the best of it

Tell me, will you splatter the canvas with rainbows
Or do you find it to be a finished work of art
coated in white?

The dice rattle, sliding across the gameboard
they are bound to land you somewhere
what you do there is your decision