The Quest for Perfection

by Ken Sanes

I will create the appearance of aurochs and bison
with sweeping lines that sing the truth of art.
In layer over layer, by the flickering torchlight,
I’ll reveal the perfection of the vision of the heart.

And I’ll reshape the world with all these inventions:
clanking coins, written records, blood spilled in war --
boulevards, palaces and well-ordered workshops --
and the quarters of the city that imprison the poor.

And I’ll conquer an empire from coasts to mountains,
taking pleasure in the bounty that control bestows,
while I carve words and stone to raise up perfection
with an image of the self shorn of ego or clothes.