I know what I should be doing right now,
Thinking the deep thoughts that go along
With the works of the great artistic masters:
The Annunciation, the Blessed Virgin,
The Last Supper, the timeless portrait.
But my mind’s betaken by a simple
Invasive weed in my front lawn
With an attractive six-petaled flower.
Its common name at least provides it status
Among the dignitaries – Star-of-Bethlehem.
Along with all his painted masterpieces,
Leonardo sketched this flower, five hundred years ago,
In red chalk and ink, within a few square inches.
The paintings fall within age-old artistic traditions
But that small sketch boded something entirely new –
A miraculous expansion of human capabilities,
To see the commonplace with objective accuracy
And illustrate it with scientific precision.
It’s just outside – you can see this annunciation
Within my front and weedy lawn.
