His sin was love and nothing more

Why could they not see beyond his homosexuality to see the beauty of his art

Oscar Wilde painted mans descent
in his novel Dorian Gray...
but what depths of his own pain
did that picture hide.
For homosexualality made him no less a man
nor stole from him the poets heart...
then why
make his own unseen canvas
be a rough hewn filth ridden prison cell.
From fairy tale to faint of heart
he mastered the written word
and made a world for all,
yet all the world could not make
just a little space for him.

He mocked himself when others tried
to break him down
and yet what was his downfall
if not love
if not the courage to be a man.

Either this wallpaper goes or I do he quipped
and left behind a legacy of literature
no jealous court could ban
no judge could bar.

Let not predudice
keep you from opening his works
and realising...
that the love that dared not
speak it's name
screamed
loud and proud from his lips and pen.

Reviews

[Priscilla Sayers]

Strong and bold! Every word soaked in by the naked eye and is felt deep within the heart.

[E.V. Black]

Reading the beginning of this, I could not believe how ironic it is. Just yesterday I completed my reading of Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray." I've always wanted to read it ever since I heard what it was about. It is a shame, though, that Wilde received so little respect in his own time. He is not one of my favorite writers (while reading "Dorian Gray" I found myself disagreeing on many of his points of view), but I do respect his work. He was a fine writer, and I do think that his end was terribly tragic. He could have received the recognition he deserved.

Wonderful tribute to a writer long gone.