The veil lifted,

  removed

  from the intensity

  of Guernica

  Picasso's brush arrested

  in a time

  of madness

  of war

  of empires crumbling

  into chaos

  and death

  So strong the image

  So true its depiction

  that it must be removed

  from hallowed halls

  of

  estates of

  empires of

  destruction

  A curtain over the horror

  of

  killing and decay

  of devastation

  As evil prevails

  And despots plot and scheme

  and calculate

  In the darkness

  Reason ignored and shunned

  The death knell rings needlessly

  And Picasso's Guernica

  a testament

  to the horror

  and carnage

  of war

  is silenced

  for now

  but not

  forever

copyright Sylvia Goldfarb