Félix de Boeck , Zelfgave , 1976

Antonello da Messina , Virgin Annunciate , 1476

Sonnet 73 by William Shakespeare

That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou see'st the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west,
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire,
Consum'd with that which it was nourish'd by.
This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

The Wind Has Died by Charles Simic

My little boat,
Take care,

There is no
Land in sight.

Grief by Raymond Carver

Woke up early this morning and from my bed
looked far across the Strait to see
a small boat moving through the choppy water,
a single running light on. Remembered
my friend who used to shout
his dead wife’s name from the hilltops
around Perugia. Who set a plate
for her at his simple table long after
she was gone. And opened the windows
so she could have fresh air. Such display 
I found embarrassing. So did his other
friends. I couldn’t see it. 
Not until this morning. 

Flowers by Arthur Rimbaud

From a golden step,-- among silk cords,
green velvets, gray gauzes,
and crystal disks that
turn black as bronze in the sun,
I see the digitalis opening
on a carpet of silver filigree,
of eyes and hair. Yellow gold-pieces
strewn over agate, mahogany columns supporting
emerald domes, bouquets of white satin
and delicate sprays of rubies,
surround the water-rose.
Like a god with huge blue eyes and limbs of snow,
the sea and sky lure to the marble terraces
the throng of roses, young and strong.

Adolf Hirémy-Hirschl, The Tomb of Achilles, 1910

A Man Said to the Universe by Stephen Crane

A man said to the universe:
“Sir, I exist!”
“However,” replied the universe,
“The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation.”

Sharon Van Etten, Seventeen

"Bach is how buildings got taller. It's how we got to the moon." ~ Charles Mingus

Meredith Monk, Ellis Island

Julius Eastman, Femenine

”Our eyes are full of terrible confessions.” ~ Anne Sexton

Edvard Munch, Death in the Sickroom, 1893

Counsel by Bukowski

I am living in hell, he told me, and I said, is that right,
Frankie? and he said, I am truly living in hell, you
would never believe it.
everything, he continued, has hardened into a repetitious
march to nowhere.
is that right, Frankie? fucking-a, he said, you ever
been locked into a situation where the only escape is
death?
yes, I told him.
then what do you do? he asked.
Frankie, I just wait, death is coming anyhow.
but, he told me, I can’t wait.
Frankie, you’ll wait.
why, he asked me, is pain the most present and constant
thing in life?
physical pain is hard to explain, Frankie, but I know what
causes most spiritual pain.
yeah? yeah? he asked.
most spiritual pain, my lad, is caused by
too much expectation.
yeah? yeah? he asked.
too much expectation, I said, try to avoid it.
do you? he asked.
yes, more and more I expect less and less.
and do you get less?
almost always, Frankie.
damn, he said, it always helps to talk to you, you’ve been
around the block.
I’m afraid so, Frankie.
he asked, did you ever think you would live this long?
Frankie, I haven’t lived this long, I’ve lasted this
long, good
night.

I hung up the receiver and pulled the
bottle
toward me.

"We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must - at that moment - become the center of the universe.” ~ Elie Wiesel

Arnold Böcklin, The Isle of the Dead, 1883

Rachmaninoff, The Isle of the Dead, Symphonic poem Op. 29, 1908

Guglielmo Pugi, The Girl with the butterfly, 1902

Antonio Canova , Hercules and Lichas , 1795

Franz von Bayros, Illustration from Dante's 'Divine Comedy', Inferno, Canto XIX, 1921