For Art's Sake Poem by Ogaga Ifowodo

We shall shun pain
and write lyrics of the ear.

We shall write only:

the redness of the setting sun
on the wonders of a rolling sea

the greenness of the forest's trees
and the songs of the dwelling birds

the sweetness of women's eyes
and the adventures of stubborn love.

We shall roam the full earth
and see no pain on our paths
and no evil in men's hearts.

For art's sake, we shall shun
pain, and write lyrics of the ear.