The Cut-Outs Of Henri Matisse

I feel through color, said Matisse,
so here the painter sits,
barefoot in wheelchair, dark pajamas,
the right hand clips away.

Soon, it will all be collage. Fuchsia horses, lilac leaves,
torsos of blue, lemon stars, hearts cerise.
A pair of scissors--a wonderful instrument, he says.
Fall-away scraps of feeling surround his nude toes.

Patricia Coburn is a writer and editor at the University of Washington. She has published two books unrelated to poetry.