The art lesson
We criss-cross each cascading, numbered hall
From medieval Jesus to Magritte
With Mitchell, six, disorderly and tall
And Amy, four, distracted by her feet
“What’s that of?” asks the boy, “Is that one good?”
A chance to teach appears — I take a knee
“Now, art is what you think, not what you should
“It’s good if good is what your mind can see
“In here, the rules of outside don’t apply
“It’s not about what’s right, but how you feel”
Next room: an installation, metres high
of weather-beaten wood and crumpled steel
my daughter’s face turns stormy with concern
“IT’S POOS!” she shouts. Two tutting ladies turn.