Nino was his nickname
\nand his early years he spent
\nin Rome, with all its classic culture
\nof which he was content
\nits pillars and its great facade’s
\nits portico’s, its art
\nall those splendid offerings
\nhad become part of his heart<\/p>\n
the romance was forthcoming
\naccompanied by it all
\nancient Rome had appealed to him
\nsince he began to crawl
\nhis parents both were painters
\nso it was in his blood
\nthough so young, still felt it
\nand such wonderment
\ndid flood<\/p>\n
and at 5 he did remember
\nthey travelled to a place
\ncalled London, at that time
\nsuch sadness, showed upon his face
\nBut London was a metropolis
\nand South Kensington, in its prime
\nThe Victoria and Albert Museum
\nwas where he would spend some time<\/p>\n
For he studied many pictures
\ndepicting Rome, and he
\nfelt he’d keep those images
\nthroughout eternity
\nhe loved those swirling dresses
\nthat clung to the female form
\nthe pastel shades of morning
\nthe rapturous winds so warm<\/p>\n
he enjoyed the classic beauty
\ncontained in a women’s smile
\nand began to capture every facet
\nand of course their beguiling style
\nfrom his perspective women’s
\nyouthful sweet desire
\npouting lips and soft white necks
\nof such images, who could not tire<\/p>\n
he loved them and he studied them
\nthe musculature, the way
\nthat garments hung
\nand the radiance and the sensuous
\narray
\nof gifts they had on offer
\nfor the eye of earnest gaze
\nthe radiance they proffered
\nwould be with him
\nall his days<\/p>\n
he began to talk to women
\nat school he did apply
\ncharm and understanding
\nsharing knowledge, now
\nwas why
\nhe began to learn his craft there
\nand those images of Rome
\nand the splendid architecture
\nthat had been around his home<\/p>\n
and now those lovely ladies
\nfrom London that he met
\nhe would paint in classic settings
\nso he, ne’er would, ever forget
\nhe became aware of a wondrous
\nwater spirit
\nwho married the knight
\nHuldebrand, to gain
\na soul,
\nFor him it just was right<\/p>\n
it was, an early German
\nRomance and she carried her deportment
\nand her role
\nas such into his realms, his heart
\nhis everything his soul<\/p>\n
her golden tresses salvaged
\na wonderful desire
\nto just bring her
\nto life
\nthis sweet embodiment
\nof womanhood
\nwith the spirit world
\nthat emphasised her fire<\/p>\n
“Undine” for him seemed everything
\nringlets in her hair
\nrang out and curled
\nan outpouring of pleasure
\nshe was rare<\/p>\n
the fountain where she stood
\nclad in calming white for she
\nwas everything to everyone
\nAnd everyone and he
\nso bright
\nand so mystical
\nand so of course
\nfor her to be
\ncaptured on a canvas
\nfor all eternity<\/p>\n
her depth and sensuous quality
\nit so attracted him
\nthe way she smiled
\nshe left him feeling tranquil honestly
\npeaceful, very peaceful really deep inside
\njust gazing and just feeling
\nher water spirit charm
\nwith or without a soul
\nshe could not hide<\/p>\n
I guess in many ways Undine
\nwas a one off
\nshe looked and made him
\nfeel so resolute
\nso truly bound up in her
\nvery being
\nUndine was clearly getting to
\nthe root<\/p>\n
of every kind of deepening
\nemotion
\nthat surfaced around that time
\nand just made him
\nrealise that she was really part of him
\nexcept of course, with some
\ndriven energy
\nthough with the air she breathed
\nthey could be free<\/p>\n
inseparable together such
\nemotions ratified
\nUndine was the ultimate soul mate
\nshe
\non the mortal plain he strayed
\nbut not in vain
\nrevealing in a way
\nhis destiny<\/p>\n
Feelings welled up in him
\nof the loss that lover’s feel
\nfor each other
\nwhen their parting
\nto what great depths they reveal<\/p>\n
a sadness, a deliberate suppressing
\nof desire
\nthe loss of someone close
\ncould prove just frantic
\neven dire<\/p>\n
gone but not forgotten
\na young woman’s retrospective
\non life and possibly what had
\ngone on before
\nthe joy of vast creation
\na store house of elation
\na dream perhaps to get him back
\nfor sure<\/p>\n
standing by his mausoleum
\nclad in brown she thinks
\nmeditation might be worth a shot
\nand all this links
\nher very handsome lover
\nto perfect harmony
\nlying in his cold dark place
\nwhich no longer could she be <\/p>\n
with him for it was over
\nin a second he had died
\ngone but not forgotten
\nbut now standing beside<\/p>\n
a street scene out in Cairo
\nthe Unwelcome, Companion
\na rich red bodice
\na pale green sash but she
\nis reticent about what she is doing
\nbut a beautiful brunette as we can see<\/p>\n
again what I have captured
\nis really how she dresses
\nthe colours compensate
\nand give her style
\nshe’s dignified about her stance
\nand position
\nand this comes through
\nif you just look for a while<\/p>\n
Miranda sits
\na contemplating
\nquietly by the sea
\nher lover lives beyond the waves
\nfar away he be
\nshe wonders as her heart
\nis breaking
\nhow he is and why
\nshe has to feel their
\nanguish
\nand underneath the sky<\/p>\n
the great divide approaches
\nits a chasm in her soul
\nand there she sits
\nwith such emotion
\nnow beyond, control
\nand look at her
\nthe way her clothes hang
\nshe’s unaware of style
\nshe’s open
\nshe’s lost interest
\nJust dreaming for a while<\/p>\n
her only care now seems
\nto get beyond the sea and sky
\nand quiet those inner screams<\/p>\n
The point that I have tried to make
\nis why he needed to
\nBring these wondrous women
\nto the forefront
\nand to do<\/p>\n
all of them a service
\nfor all of them once gave
\nimmense worth to the world about them
\nand my dears did save<\/p>\n
him, to have that freedom
\nto depict these valiant souls
\ngoing through their lives
\nperforming lengthy roles<\/p>\n
suffering and worrying
\nand being joyful through
\ntheir tragedies
\ntheir happiness
\nwhen all of us have these too<\/p>\n
in 1883 he married Esther
\nthe daughter of a schoolmaster
\nand she
\nwas also a most
\naccomplished painter
\nso they had a lot in common
\nand could see<\/p>\n
a way ahead together
\nshe would study flowers
\nand had a mindful tender
\neye
\ncapturing their beauty
\nforever
\nwhich her craft did faithfully under
\nlie<\/p>\n
they did have 2 sweet children
\nbut very tragically
\nthey lost them both
\nin childhood which hurt
\nthem desperately<\/p>\n
to lose one’s offspring cheaply
\ncan so destroy those who
\nexperience the horror
\nbut somehow they got through<\/p>\n
you never can forget this
\nits with you till the end
\nwho are we to understand
\nThat their hearts would never mend<\/p>\n
Later cancer took hold of him
\nand despite the will to fight
\nto keep ahead and paint
\nand live in fact
\ndespite
\nhis might<\/p>\n
he lost the battle
\nand
\nclosed his eyes
\nand drifted
\noff
\nand left
\nhis dear wife to survive him
\nWho remained sad and bereft<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
My life told in a series of verses Continue reading