Sonnet-Sketch of Sam High House

Inspired by a possible mass-produced piece of art.

Ink print cursive on parchment, signed
with uncanny precision, "Becky 79".
Each pressed line-to-fade articulate
in their nature—displaying a man-made
landscape of leaves and brick on paper weight.
The artist left the colors out in shades
of imitation graphite. A gray-scale foundation
for the "Sam High House 1908",
as the drawing was labeled. No location
or hint the home existed in any state
outside the imagination of memory.
The title and signature were the only words
written, besides scribble filling gaps
in branches, the center-tree empty of birds
and life the printer forgot to ink and cap.

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I first saw this thrift-store work as it rested on the shelf in our downstairs restroom. Having a love of history, I was drawn to wondering what was the story behind this house, as it appears to have existed in 1908 (or was it built in 1908), and drawn by a “Becky” in 1979.

Then the realization hit me that there might not be a story at all, besides whatever someone imagined to produce and sell with the frame. And that thought stirred the creative flow in me—so I took a picture to reference later.

(Good thing I did, as my wife has since rotated that frame for another, and I have no idea where “upstairs” this work currently is. Artwork, like lamps, tends to rotate frequently in our house.)

Whatever the story, real or contrived, of the drawing of Sam High House, it’s a testament to how we can create work that feels real in history, and resonates with us in longings in time and place.

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Isaiah 32:18 NIV
My people will live in peaceful dwelling places,
in secure homes,
in undisturbed places of rest.

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