a painting in history

i saw a painting of a painting of a boy who looked like a stain that looked like a boy
sitting at the river lost in thought, lost in color on canvas
his pigmented soul fading in strokes to bare canvas
the bare skin of his arms goose bumped gold and brown
i got lost in thought i thought

i studied it in history in the library in history in a book in history
i looked to study to see the painting in the painting of the stain of the boy
once wet, now dry and spread out into form to form a form of a boy
who is destined for greatness
to be studied
in history
to be seen
and prayed to and questioned,
"who is destined for greatness?"