They never met, except in paint,
Upon this canvas stage,
At either side of Life’s divide –
Two names upon one page.
Defined by Art and Nature
In love with Love and Death,
Embracing the passionate world
That finally took his breath.
Reaching through a tangled mess
Of darkness, doubt, disgrace –
His heart and eyes were true
In a world that had no place
For him or for his lovers,
His obsessions and his whims –
The Demons shook the leaves
From off his Wintry limbs.
How easy for a life to start,
How easy it can end –
If I could travel into dreams
Then you’d have been my friend.
But, you died in ’39
Your seasons work was done,
And 68 years later
A new life had begun.
So I put Mark and Ruby
Into my painted world,
There is no reason why
Except to see unfurled
The freshest leaves of Ruby red
Upon a flamebird’s wing –
Not special, and yet perfect –
A new flower in the Spring.