Why is it you dismiss the past
And works which will forever last?
The present stems from what we’ve gained
What’s new has often been explained.

To glow with thoughts of what’s to be
And unlock all those doors you see
Where future scenes play in your mind
A Goya for a modern time.

But still abstract despite the years
Beyond your once and current fears
Does Stella answer all you want
Reduced to such a simple font?

T’is true, it’s best to be unframed
To fail at new and not be shamed
To scorn mundane from what’s been done
To see things that are yet to come.

There’s little worse than acquiesce
Convention’s oft a willing mess
The myths of this enlightened age
Where peer is more the norm than sage.

But while the sneer of cold command
Lies buried in eternal sand,
Our world is rich from bygone time
In wisdom, art and better rhyme.

The genius of our early days
Will fix a compass for your gaze
There are some truths which never change
And beauty to extend your range.

What Homer gleaned from ancient text
Was passed on down to Virgil next
To Dante then the Bard to you
The background to your forward view.

Copyright © 2003 Paul Heno