Herein Is Beauty! Poem by Denis Martindale

Herein is beauty, not merely in the dearly covered flesh upon the bone,
Nor in the fashioning of a dress upon the form,
Nor in the twinkling, sparkling jewels upon the naked fingers...
But, rather, centred within the temple of the human heart,
Fastened to the eternal essence of the sacred soul...
There, in the midst of things, sheltered from all harm,
Exists the quintessential being, the true character contained,
And cushioned there are the colours of the rainbow,
Each representing a facet of the internal spirit of life...
Goodness and meekness and kindness and gentleness...
The softened sweetness, pure as honey,
Untainted by the harshness of life's cruel trickeries,
Unblemished, untarnished by the patina of time...
Look well upon true beauty, for it is worth the study...
Compare it with all that Man would call beauty...
There is no comparison in all of Nature's realm...
The Universe itself can barely contain it,
Yet it must, for how else could we, mere mortals,
Comprehend it and esteem its splendours?
Herein is beauty, not merely in the dearly covered flesh upon the bone,
Nor in the fashioning of a dress upon the form,
Nor in the twinkling, sparkling jewels upon the naked fingers...
But, rather, centred within the temple of the human heart...
God-made to stand against the rigours of time and space,
Twixt yesterday, today and tomorrow...
Beloved of God, forever, without ceasing, without compromise,
Without hesitation, disregard or dismissal...
For true beauty is His creation, His theme, His dream,
His one and eternal plan...
There is nothing more wondrous than beauty...