I hope you will, too. (I'll also include the summary given by the author at the end.)
When Earth’s last picture is painted
By Rudyard Kipling
When Earth’s last picture is painted and the tubes are twisted and dried,
When the oldest colours have faded, and the youngest critic has died,
We shall rest, and, faith, we shall need it—lie down for an æon or two,
Till the master of All Good Workmen shall put us to work anew.
And those that were good shall be happy: they shall sit in a golden chair;
They shall splash at a ten-league canvas with brushes of comets’ hair.
They shall find real saints to draw from—Magdalene, Peter, and Paul;
They shall work for an age at a sitting and never be tired at all!
And only The Master shall praise us, and only The Master shall blame;
And no one shall work for money, and no one shall work for fame,
But each for the joy of the working, and each, in his separate star,
Shall draw the Thing as he sees It for the God of Things as They are!
Karen Lewis writes: "Whenever I recite this poem, I am convinced that my creative efforts are acceptable to God, though I do not understand why. It assures me that I must keep on trying to write and worship God as I write...
"...God expects us to create all the beauty that we are capable of and to keep on trying, even when the way is difficult. What we create now is only the beginning of creations that can continue throughout the eternities. Therefore, let us gird up our loins, fresh courage take, and continue to write."
