961

Bella Italia, Southend

A poster of the Sistine Chapel pinned above my head

As I sup my double espresso and accept that I had read

All I want to of The Independent and have eaten more

Than I expected - but that comment seems to avoid the core

Of what I need to say - How quickly we reduce perfection

To a trite souvenir, a double A3 whose intention

Is to amuse not overwhelm, as surely Michelangelo

Intended, when in sweaty haste, his immortal fresco

Took shape above his head and over time has come to mean

For more than he imagined on the intellectual scene.

Yet via internet and mobile every daub has been reduced

To a faded T-shirt or an ad for orange juice.

Dr Brian Hick summer 2011

©copyright Sally Hick 17.7.23