Italia, Parts One and Two

One

Land of light and grace
Color intensified, and awash with texture.
Oiled canvasses, olives
Light shifts
Particles float through golden air.
A patina, the residue of time,
filters through my lungs, my mind.
Marble holds the form that one history took;
Wood too often decays, leaving nothing but questions.
Canvas shows the color of fate, as told by the artist.
Texture is the thing I love about this place.


Two

Slabs of marble, without imperfections.
I see a boy in my mind-
white, hard, blemish free.
David stands in youthful glory,
full of the hubris of conquerors.
His form shows God's brilliance,
expressed with a human passion-
earthly flesh, carved out of marble.
Thousands pay homage to his fabled courage,
these subjects conquered without the sling and stones.