What the artist adds

No-one can tell you
what is real,
or what is beautiful:
you need to touch it for yourself.
Follow your eye where it is drawn to go.
Let the flesh at your fingertips assess:
a cheek, a flower,
the fuzz upon a peach --
each has its own story to tell,
for your ears only.
Drink it in,
both real and artificial
and let the heart respond
as it likes.
What the artist adds to nature
comes also from the heart.