Death in Venice

I saw you today, from beyond the grave.
A friends box set tribute,
I watched you change.
From monochromed heroes and villains
through technicolor fools
until in perfect Italian sunshine
you aged

Your departure now seem staged.
A scripted man, a turning page.
Preserved dignity in a celluloid cage.

End of war army intelligence
first to see Belsens shame.
Memory etching deeper with age.

Until that Venice sunset fades  
Leaving us your face
full of gentle,
smiling,
melancholic rage.

Dirk Bogarde 1921 to 1999