Little Red Poem (Critique 12)

The Clouded Glass, Mark Rothko

Inspired by George Saunders' "The Red Bow"

the little red bow
fell from emily's head
through the ground

and she has fallen with it
under cold soil
somewhere far away
a little girl plays with her dog

A Story About the Body (Critique 11)

Inspired by Robert Hass's A Story About the Body

FADE IN:

1.  INT. ART STUDIO – NIGHT

A studio designed for multiple artists in an artist colony. All easels are vacant except one.

THE PAINTER, Japanese, almost 60, is the only one in the room. She works silently but earnestly at her easel. Her concentration never breaks.

2.  INT. HALLWAY – NIGHT

THE COMPOSER, in his 20s, is heading back to his cabin after a hard day’s work. He approaches the door to the art studio, left ajar, and sees THE PAINTER. He lingers there, studying her, transfixed.

3.  INT. ART STUDIO – NIGHT

Close up of the Painter as she continues to work. Pan out to see the Composer in the background. He accidentally DROPS A PENCIL he had been holding.

4.  INT. HALLWAY – NIGHT

Close up of the Composer’s face as he cringes with embarrassment. He flashes a goofy, toothy grin.

5.  INT. ART STUDIO – NIGHT

Close up of the Painter’s face as she, with utmost sweetness, returns his grin.

6.  INT. ART STUDIO – NEXT DAY

There are four or five more artists in the studio. The Painter sits in the same place.

7.  INT. HALLWAY – DAY

The Composer power-walks down the hallway. His excitement colors his frantic, jerky walk. He comes to the art studio’s open door and walks in.

8.  INT. ART STUDIO – DAY

The Composer approaches The Painter from behind. He inquires politely about the painting, asking a naïve sort of question like “What is it?” or “What does it mean?”

The Painter turns and smiles demurely. She answers sincerely but slowly and with great effort, as if she were talking to a child. 

Surgery, Betsey Noorzay

Tantalizer (Exercise 12)

L'Ange du Foyer, Max Ernst

my grandmother's body-bronzing luminizer
is called
tantalizer
and I can't get the stains off my
                       under
                       under
                       under
                       wear
                       where
the fire burns sterile
any chances I might have.

My Tea is Cold (Exercise 11)

Oil Painting of China Tea Cup with Spoon, Elizabeth Blaylock

These are the facts:

I spent some morning moments
looking at a girl's lower back
she wore yoga pants
skin peaked out and
I peaked at it and
hated it.
now I don't know if I looked
because I wanted it for my own
because I wanted to destroy it
or because I wanted it to destroy
me.

                   

America the Great and Prosperous (Critique 10)

Inspired by Gerald Stern's "Columbia the Gem" 

Split Level, Jerry Kunkel

They lift this house aching in the nicest suburbia 

The polite neighbor louder than the quiet voice

The smile. The cramped smile 

Their time is reputation 

Here the words can make cute finger puppets

of their hello's and pitying how are you's 

Here the town poor can feel presumptuous stares 

and the privileged upper crust can shut their 

jewel encrusted doors a tad 

Here the house erupts its sticky innards 

and sits, in its thick silence, unlike the others 

among ashes.