My Ode To The Arts

Leonardo's lines and Titian's colours Sing out as arias from an opera, Or a pirouette of the great Pavlova, Taking your heart into those realms unseen, Into the reality of dreams. The Saint John's Passion soars Aloft and so becomes vast arches For the Cathedral of Rheims. In Art the structure matters, Rhyming like counterpointed feelings Giving substance to our being. And ancient myths a new expression, Or celebrate the joy of living, Or the tragedy of human errors In Sophocles and in King Lear They paint the road to ruin. Which medium we use is interwoven With strands of other Arts we know We cannot stop the inter-flow Of memories and of our learning. Our path is coloured by our aptitude, And only varies by the outer form Permitted by its latitude. Verse is what I choose and yet I celebrate All other Arts and chiefly that of Nature Whose sounds and sights and scents give pure Ideas and dreams to contemplate.