Carrara – a detail, John Lyons (25 x 30 cm, oil on canvas)

A patterned chaos of colour
       on the canvas
oils masquerading as marble
       quarried out of Carrara
a flat surface to be curved
       around a tall column
nano dots of pigment
       bound to the supple fabric
paint applied
       with a flick of the wrist

Somewhere in there
       is the beast I have hunted
all my life
       the image the images
that lie beneath
       art composed according
to first principles –
       acrid smoke rises
in the mouth of the cave
       a community gathers
to feast on the spoils
       of the day

By the light
       of the leaping flames
let us leave history
       on the walls
let us record this day
       for all who follow
in our steps
       let us slay the beast
for all time
       let us slay time

John Lyons