Thursday, May 11, 2006

Today's "Poetry Thursday" Contribution

Damn....forgive me for saying this - but it's hard to just "pick a poem" and post it.

Anyhow - this is the one I've settled on. It's one of my favorites, although I can't tell you why. I think because it's rhymed, but not rhymed, metered but not metered, formal, but not formal. It's "not-quite-free-verse"!!! - It's free verse tightly reined and closely constrained - which is, when you think of it, perfect.

The Artist

You're painting me in chains - my aching arms
held high above my head, my hands restrained,
my legs spread open wide enough that worms
can crawl between the crevices and gain
control. Your dragonflies sew shut my eyes
while seven snakes sleep nestled in my hair.
Wild bees wax close my lips, my ears. My thighs
and hips are stilled by spider-webs. You prove
you're worthy to be hung in a museum while I -
I wear indignity as easily
as if it were a dress I could remove.

5 comments:

Left-handed Trees... said...

Very interesting work here--"I wear indignity as easily as if it were a dress I could remove." Powerful stuff...

Anonymous said...

It's killing me that all I can think of to say is: I like it too.

It's defiant. I like that.

liz elayne lamoreux said...

i had this image of the word indignity piled on the floor, like clothes...
so many images here...wonderful. thank you for sharing this.
hips stilled by spider-webs - this is my favorite line.

Dona Bogart said...

The last line was very strong and powerful. It was a punch. Very vivid.

Lo said...

Thank you all. Very much.