The Novice Of Wholes

by Thomas Livings

The novice of wholes will
Paint a landscape where
The twenty-ninth tree is an oak.
The master of pieces
Selects his tree species
Yet broader than this is his stroke.

The master of pieces
Plays wind, harp and cello,
But strings them together as one.
The novice of wholes,
Obsessed with cymbals,
Knows not when there ought to be none.

The novice of wholes
Will cook up a platter,
The master of pieces a meal.
The master of pieces
Will draw his conclusion
As the novice of wholes
Makes semantic confusion
In quarrelling over a word or two,
So which one would rather be you?