Bellini Theft

[Evan Shaw]

Oarman on Venice canal, pushes góndola around
Look up stare, "Signora, over there!"
Hot air balloon rises betwixt churchtops
With marble domes wrought
Completing what some inventor thought

"This revival of materialism is frightful.
Locke would have us abandon that inexact vague Life
and rely on senses, more certainty he says!"

"Indeed dear, that mysterious longing to grab
the air above - and put it in your chest
securing it, for if only then.
Has this desire for more, in all its ways, ever
come from matter?
Does rock yearn? Does a horse long for infinitude?"

Oarman on Venice canal, pulls góndola to dock
Lift her hand, off we walk
"We must be quick, and leave no trace."
Stepped inside, Canaletto's place

"What stirs you, they want to see.
Forget its outward appearance and capture its essence,
its inward significance. Transfer that intense
feeling onto canvas, and your job
will be done."

Unbeknownst to him, I had no brushes
An exit for the escape, was all we came to locate
"The plan is polished."

Oarman on Venice canal, pushes góndola around
Masks of Carnevale, lured them away
Bellini snatched, they'll wished they stayed

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