A Trilogy of Connected Poems Part Three The Sad Tale of Ruskin, Whistler and Millais!

The Sad Tale of Ruskin, Whistler and Millais!

John Ruskin who championed The Brotherhood
Had no time for Whistler, no reason he should.
He thought he threw paint in the public’s face,
Then charged thirty guineas, what a disgrace!

Ruskin’s view that Whistler was no painter,
The more he did, the more they grew fainter.
Whistler thought reducing brush strokes was best,
The viewer’s insight could fill in the rest.

Then angry Whistler took Ruskin to court,
They found in his favour but still he got nought.
Being awarded one penny in cost,
So Ruskin thought he had not really lost.

Seeing his reputation flutter by,
Made Whistler replace his sweet butterfly,
Changed for a scorpion that had a sting,
To get even with Ruskin was his thing.

Putting it on his paintings to show why,
He hated Ruskin for telling a lie.
But Ruskin could be a very good friend,
Something Whistler could never comprehend

Then Ruskin and Millais became estranged,
When Millais’ feelings for Ruskin’s wife changed,
Millais cruelly shattered John Ruskin’s life,
By running off with the famed critic’s wife!

Salieri was Mozart’s nemesis
Millais and Whistler, Ruskin’s enemies
Now all that remains is for me to say
Why can’t my poem, morph into a play?