The Artist Poem by Barry Middleton

the soul of the artist is a burden
we take responsibility for tomorrow
the audacity of the task
boggles the mind

with chisel or brush or pen
we reduce mountains to monuments
we conjure the fire of a starry night
we freeze the scream of terror

and we must chronicle love and death
the beauty of the universe
the grief of letting go
so this is a heavy weight we bear

art aims to change the world
this is its sacred mission
and some will be remembered
and some will die unknown

and yet when we unite
it eases our burden
to know so many others rise to the call
to fracture the walls that separate us