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A Greater Art


I am bound to a sense of place I cannot explain,

an idealized version of the world that I know.

I recognize its borders, address it by its proper name,

and my perceptions surround it with a familiar glow.

The days of my youth were shaped by a landscape

torn and fractured by strife, unforgiving to an extreme.

And from it I believed there to be little chance of escape,

so I contented myself with hatred and constant schemes.


I am bound to an image of truth that I often ignored

in favor of an assortment of illusions I could abide.

I was compelled to action by circumstances I deplored,

relying on will alone to arrest a destructive tide.

I have too often lost myself and now must recover

some deeper sense of self I surrendered in the past.

Surely there can be resolution to all I have discovered;

angels of light will minister to me if only I ask.


I am bound to a vision that I struggle to understand,

unshakeable and driven, emblazoned upon my soul.

I strive to summon whatever powers I can command

in an effort to bring completion and make myself whole.

I offer up this vision of life as a testament of my heart

in the hope that it will grow, prosper, and endure.

For now these words will suffice, but I seek a greater art

that these pages can only describe but never ensure.