#468 The Virgin's Chariot

Elsewhere it is drawn by lions,
on solid ground, even if it is 
a rough track rather than a
road. Cherubs accompany her,
either to keep her amused or on
hand to push — while the lions
pull — the chariot should it 
happen to get stuck. Allegory
drawn large. The Virgin Mary 
on her way to heaven, assumed
body & soul, traveling first class 
on a triumphal vehicle. Much
the same thing here. The means 
of transport a shiny mirror, the
suitcase closed as befits a virgin.
Yet the perspective all wrong. If
the mirror's right, then the case
could only hold a single tube of 
lipstick. If the case is lifesize then a
reasonable entourage could balance 
on the mirror comfortably. So
what's the answer? Perhaps it
lies in those marks on the mirror.
Dare we suppose some lines of
coke were snorted here, & the
world now somewhat distorted.

#467 Le Sabbat

He refused to work
on the Sabbath, which
is why the lights are
all turned off — the moon
gives me enough light
to find my way around —

& the painting is left
upside down — I won't
work but that doesn't 
stop my mind from
turning over, so putting 
things in unusual places 
often helps as a sort of 
associative trigger when
the next day comes around — 

& for any person passing
by, an upturned apple is
still an apple — I stole
that idea from Gertrude
Stein who I later paid back
by painting rose after rose 
after rose — but no one

has decreed that magic
can't be done on this day — 
I deliberately put that half-
full glass of wine there so
that when it hangs upside-
down with no spillage, what
else can it be but magical?

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#465 La Joconde (2)

 

The curtains open. The summer 
sky takes center stage. Thinks the
play's the thing: but there is no 
King. Apart from the slash of blue &
white there is little light, & the only
animate object in sight, a horse's bell, 
has lost its smile, lips quite tight, 
trapped inside a night of boredom.

#464 Man with a Newspaper (2)

 

Seeing several 
frames within the 
painting allows that 
a central premise 

could be: today & 
yesterday are so alike
a past image can be
positioned to present the 

present in such a way
Derrida himself might
find it hard to tell if

what happened then
has happened now 
or has time reversed.

#463 La Vengeance

 

Simplicity abounds. Each
part of the room is mono-
tone — floor, walls, the em-
bossed dado, the ceiling
& its cornice. Only the
horse's bell rings out in-
trusion, & that, perhaps,
because of oversize alone.

#462 L'Invention du Feu

Maybe we shouldn't go 
down the line of thought 
brought about by the ob-
vious doggy position 
along with too much 
randy baluster, too little 
political correctness. But 
where else to go, seeking
the meaning of the seem-
ingly demeaning pose? 
Back to the future, I sup-
pose, since this is identified
as the invention of fire & thus
comes first, gives birth to
all those fiery euphoniums 
that were discovered later.

  

#461 En Face des Murmurs

The whisperers are not exactly
out in force. Just the two
of them. Evidence enough, 

however, to group all rumor 
into two streams which their 
purveyors reflect. Those mur- 

murs that have some weight
to them.  The others baseless, 
can be easily seen through.

#460 Le lieu commun

 

At once revealed &
obscured by the same
corner of the wall. Is
rare that we can see the 
whole face of Mr. Every-
man, sans oiseaux, sans
pommes, sans énigme.
Looks like the forest is 
no longer common place —
brings out another side 
to him. Especially when 
it encroaches upon his 
suburban living space.

#459 The Spirit of Adventure / L'Esprit d'Aventure

 

Je suis un petit bourgeois
avec un chapeau melon &
les chaussures à bout d'aile
mais je n'ai pas le moindre
esprit d'aventure.
                                    Which is
why I stand at the seawall
looking out at the tangerine
sea, a similar sky, & not even
try to guess as to what might
cause them to be that way.


I am somewhat middle class
with my bowler hat & my
wing tip shoes but I do not
have the slightest spirit of
adventure inside me.
         Lequel est                                             
pourquoi je me tiens à la
digue regardant la mandarine
mer, un ciel similaire, et même
pas essayez de deviner ce qui
pourrait les amener à être ainsi.

#458 The Sensational News

Decomposition takes time — depends
upon the size of the object. Retribution,
too, not always immediate, but it is
deliberate. Why else that phrase: revenge
is a dish best served cold? Sufficient of
the bird remaining to let it manipulate
the surrounds. Getting its own back
for its owners' neglect. Singing as it does
so, Stairway to Heaven, that Led Zeppelin


song. Using it as a template / timekeeper,
to progress the couple's decay.  First the
smile wiped off their faces, so ferociously
their features have come away as well.
Then smoothed down, as if turned on a
lathe. The final indignation still to come.
Head & neck removed, to be featured as
newel caps, put in place at the top of
the staircase as the song comes to an end.