Wim Wenders' Poem for Antonioni

Just found a poem for Antonioni by his friend and collaborator Wim Wenders

As sad as I was to learn

that you are gone,

as happy I was to hear

that you went in peace,

the way you wanted to,

conscious and clear.

Awareness and clarity,

perception and rigour

were your strengths,

and you relied on them

all through your life

and up to your death.

Modernity for you

was not a fleeting trend

but to fully seize

contemporary life

while anticipating

its possible futures.

I am proud

that I had the privilege

to meet you,

and that I was allowed to see

your mind and your eyes

at work.

You left us a treasure:

your writing, your painting

and your way of looking

that all condensed into

the timeless architecture

of your films.

Your experiences

that you shared with us

have shed a lasting light

on ours,

not just in cinema.

Grazie, Michelangelo.

Wim Wenders,

Sicily, July 31 2007