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
