To create a work of art
takes time, space and energy.
What makes an artist's work valuable
is not the money it may sell for,
it's the part of the person
that's torn from their
very life, mind and body
and hung up there
for all to see.
That kind of exposure,
that kind of involvement,
is no easy matter.
It's wonderful and
awful at the same time.
It takes a great deal of stamina
to see it through.
That is why,
One True Artist is such a rare thing of beauty.
1979 Nancy Hanley
[This was written to me in a letter from my Father's wife Nancy. She was paying homage to me as an artist and to all the artists of the world, and I'm sure that includes all the poets too. That is why I decided to share it with all the poets here on PoemHunter. I have her permission to do so. Shirley Hanley]
Shirley Hanley
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/one-true-artist/
