—Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Unarmed Artemis, your mouth
opened in awe or slight surprise,
you stand surveying the scene in
this most modern garden. Centuries
spin before your sightless eyes while lilies
ring their silent bells. Frail ferns
and cineraria whisper softly
in the stone-stilled atmosphere.
We wander among the squared-off
rooms surrounding you, turning
over in our minds thoughts we thought
we had forgotten. Each turn brings
back to breath the beautiful,
the true. Then we return to you.
Demetrius of Ephesus, your fears
have proven false. We stand and stare,
and wonder if, in our modern world,
when we return to it, our being here
and seeing you will make much
difference. We walk out into the world
to do what we must do.
—William Virgil Davis