A Poem
By KG Newman
Image licenced to Jodi Simpson MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS BOSTON by Jodi Simpson
Usage : – 3000 X 3000 pixels (Letter Size, A4)
© Digital Image (c) The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA / Art Resource
We moved in months ago
but she refuses to hang anything on the walls.
In the family room, I suggest this oil ship painting
but she says it conveys
fabricated turbulence, as if static ocean foam
somehow suggests a quick forgiveness.
She also sees two black whales somewhere
in the distance behind the ship,
balancing on a tiny striped buoy.
Around the mammals, a circle of white sharks.
And the most disturbing thing about this painting,
she says while leaning in close
and calculating our debt,
is the whales remain astounded
knowing full well the encroaching nomads
have no need for oil lamps.
