Oh to have been a courtesan,

the knowledge of pleasure, the ins and outs,

the what not, what a gift  to those they bestowed their charms upon,

16th century Venice is the place,

where a courtesan was a goddess,

Revered as a wealthy temptress,

She gave men what they desired,

No matter how sick or demented, how vile or depraved,

They were paid handsomely, some richer than those that held the highest offices,

but there was a side of the courtesan that was not seen by most,

Some of them longed to be with their one true love,

but could not be, their class and status would not permit it,

They were forced to sell their bodies for trinkets,

but her age later in years played a cruel joke on her,

for she was not attractive to men anymore,

and she was left to beg on the streets of Venice for ever more,

No more beauty, no more fame, only despair and utter shame.