I have Venice on my mind. The Biennale is upcoming with what looks to be a spectacular exhibit of Willem de Kooning's works.
I have yet to visit, but do plan to go to this curious city of over 400 bridges, 100+ islands, and a slightly larger number of canals. I know it from photographs, glasswork, literature, and poetry.
Below is a favorite poem by Arthur Symons:
Venice
Water and marble and that silentness
Which is not broken by a wheel or hoof;
A city like a water-lily, less
Seen than reflected, palace wall and roof,
In the unfruitful waters motionless,
Without one living grass's green reproof;
A city without joy or weariness,
Itself beholding, from itself aloof.
