Looking at Paintings

Looking through my art books...

Looking at Paintings

By

Steppenwolf

 

The Italian painters, I love them so;

So many depictions of scenes from the New Testament

Testament, Old, is where I come from but this is my secret

Secret that I like the Virgin Mary with her blue robe and baby on her lap

Lap of the woman who is called God-Carrier

And God-Carrier; is she just as holy as God?

God in heaven looking down; God, the New Testament says, sent his son;

Son, my own son, young and noble, is every woman’s son a young God?

God again, in paintings a white dove descending

Descending even further, straight down to hell

Hell, visions of hell, painted the tortures of the damned

Damned but not for eternity because there will be a new world

World, peopled with angels as in pictures, their wings too small to carry their bodies

Bodies, grave faces, translucent, with gold plates behind their heads

Heads of the martyrs, John the Baptist’s on a platter for show

Show the Blessed Mother as a teenager who got pregnant

Pregnant out of wedlock so St. Joseph comes forward

Forward he comes and when he strikes the earth with his stick

Stick blooms with lilies oh I love the Italians.