Rembrandt’s ghost
Heavy for a ghost, he rouses himself again
To trawl the galleries of his dead successes.
Although he is spruced with a garland of rosemary,
His winding sheet still reeks of mortality and paint,
And he still keeps a weather- eye
For the shades of old creditors,
For, dogged interminably by life’s misfortunes,
Rembrandt Van Rijn died beyond his means.
Rembrandt Van Rijn
On certain nights the ghost of Rembrandt Van Rijn
walks the galleries where his masterworks are kept.