Gnosis

Too many have mistaken art for self-
Expression--only when the self's expressed
From hidden knowledge not found on a shelf
And not out of your bared and barren breast
Will you become an artist, poet, mage
Who's able to bring forth in metaphors
The future and from it be a fair sage
Whose images, rhymes, rhythms open doors
The select few are able to unlock
Upon the passing of the ancient test
Of memorizing all the ancient stock
Of verse and myth, inspiration, the blessed.
The bard who fills his cup to overflow
Pours forth in verse all that he cannot know.