People in the Clouds
Child is Father to the Man ~ Philip Brent Harris
~~~~~ It is time to put people over politics, country over capitulation and world over wealth.
~~~~~
Painting, oil, acrylic, water, color to attract our eye,
we may travel to exotic places, without a need to fly.
Meet people from far away, in geography or in time,
marvel at their talent, yet you might not pay a dime.
Pictorial storytellers from Lascaux to sprayed graffiti.
People or rulers of old, even Al Capone or Frank Nitti.
Cultural continuity, our history shown throughout time,
long before the written word, in either prose or rhyme.
Think you don’t understand; I don’t think you’re right
Though shortened, commercialized, it is all still in sight
Not its exclusive venue, we are told it’s all that matters
Till Tut or Dresden’s Treasures our worldview shatters
So why then is art relegated to the fringes of our lives,
co-opted to the merchant’s bidding, in our burb-hives?
If we are good worker bees, we may not notice much,
trudge in step and drink beer, see TV sports and such.
Art needs triumph, show, now hidden; it must inveigle.
Those who create it know, to them and all, it’s integral
It is rooted deeply within the bones and in our blood,
conveying Earth’s history, mammoth hunt, fire flood.
Moving pictures share this role, screen captures an era.
Pertinent or sadly dated, changes forms like a chimera.
Portraying daily struggles, portrayed in bits and bytes,
Instant people in the clouds, just add sound and lights
So why must artists struggle, starving artists a cliché?
Laboring to find the truth, they should get better pay.
Respect, at least, no more snide remarks or snickers.
Ignorant, greedy fools are unfit to hold their knickers.
~~~~~
Peace is Purpose, Nonviolence is Strength, Diversity is Unity, Empathy is Empowerment
~~~~~
Please, leave a comment and let me know what you think.
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