No one really knows why Mona Lisa
Is smiling in her portrait by Leonardo.
Imagine all the hours Mona Lisa
Sat there observing Leonardo study her every feature.
I wonder was she thinking that her own husband Francesco
Never looked at her that way - why?
Picture a room bathed in daylight,
Suspended in stillness,
Only brushstrokes and birdsongs breaking the silence.
And then I see something ineffable in Leonardo's face,
An impenetrable focus, unapologetic fervour in his gaze,
This place, reminding me of what I left behind
When I signed my name on that certificate,
With God as my witness, till death do us part...
Don't get me wrong, I have no regrets,
I would do it all again!
I just wish the world could know the sacrifice I make,
Being a mother to my children,
A wife to my Francesco,
Till death do us part,
Where do I start?
Florence is a place where people come
From all over of the world,
Artists kneel before her beauty and wait
To have their wings unfurled!
But the women of this city, if you're lucky and you're pretty
You might serve one as a muse, oh but if I could choose,
I too would fly!
I have danced with creation, giving my children life,
They say a good wife is content with that being her legacy,
Oh the hypocrisy of such double standards for my kind!
It takes a strong mind to remember your one true self
In a society that disregards your power and your strength, but
The world is very different today to a hundred years ago.
You never know, maybe a hundred more before we're free,
My sisters, my daughters and me.
Free to have voice, free to have a choice,
Free to make some noise!
Artist at heart, till death do us part,
Where do I start?
Leonardo, he may be free, but
Florence is wasted on me...