I paint pictures with words

I illustrate landscapes with verbs

I have remodeled the Mona Lisa with letters

And I dim the stars with sentences

I am a writer

I can move to the rhythm of my own heart

I surrender my body as soon as the music starts

I speak without words but show you, my soul

I drown in the groove but swim in the melody

I am a dancer

I capture the essence of your being with a snap

I allow you, to revisit history I allow you to look back

I hold moments and command them to stop

I’ll show you a fantasy within reality

I am a photographer

With the flick of a brush, I create a landscape for you to get lost in

I color the lakes for you to swim in

I give the trees their colors I give the birds their beauty

I can redefine the depth of your perception

I am a painter

…

I could stand here all day and display for you the beauty and dismay

Of every kind of artist, that is known to the world

But what we all share, is that we stare into the depths of our souls

And obtain that little piece of gold, that allows us to become creative

We are slaves to our fantasy, our creativity is what pushes this world forward

From the images on TV to the billboards decorating a highway

From the cartoons, your kids watch, to banners on the internet

They were done by artists

And by cutting our funding you are cutting your own wrist

You will bleed dry and the very point you missed

Will become evident in the years to come

When the repercussions and consequences of your actions will have been done

Van Gogh sells for millions, Da Vinci sells for millions

Shakespeare writes best sellers, Beethoven is still played to this day

They were all artists

Sculpting our history, painting our past

Composing our pain, and dancing to our screams

Writing down our feelings and our dreams

This is our cultural heritage and YOU want to cut it

You want to take the very life essence from it

But we will stand firm and address your hypocrisy

Since when did we lose the essence of our democracy

We the people decide the future

Our imagination, our inspiration, our resourcefulness

Has never been limited to money

Our dedication, our motivation are what’s needed in a world dimmed by technology

By cutting the funds you are throwing us in a deep hole with no light

By cutting the funds you telling us to find a color while covering our sight

And I for one simply won’t agree

Maybe it’s because of all the possibilities I see

Creativity will never be guided by money

Never will a stroke of the pen by given by a coin

Never will an artist succumb to the feeble demands of a society

Never will a true artist hand over their integrity

We are artists and we will not be silenced

We will survive

I paint pictures with words

I illustrate landscapes with verbs

I have remodeled the Mona Lisa with letters

And I dim the stars with sentences

I am a writer

And I dare you to tell me to become something else

Vino