My poem: Naming Names is up on The Ekphrastic Review today. It was written in response to Anne Ryan”s collage #7. Here is the poem and the link:
Naming Names
I was pleased when they
examined my collage from every angle.
It seemed some of them
were more than willing to stand on their heads
for a better view.
The whispering tipped me off—
“But why seven?” she said
“It’s there if you look hard enough,” he said.
“Ah, now I’ve got it,” they said as one.
If you paint your Uncle Arthur at the shore,
you might well name it Uncle Arthur at the Shore.
But abstracts?
Bob Rauschenberg named one of his
“Bruised Knee,” because he hurt himself
carrying it down the stairs—
his knee was purpled for weeks.
A little secret.
I named this seven
because it was after six—
which I tore to shreds just yesterday
and before eight—
a piece I will work on through the teens—
I suspect.
Some have the knack
and have the critics
oooh and aaahing
pontificating over the importance
and perfection of the name.
“It makes the piece,” you’d hear them say
of a blue dab on white background
the artist named “Blue on White.”
I will name one 8 ½
(Perhaps I”ll put 1/2 before the 8).
the first critic to find Fellini
in abstraction will be lauded
with generous spreads in the Times
of London and New York
and l will be declared a modern marvel—
“She merges art and film,”
they’ll crow—
“See the movie, see the exhibit,”
“Prepare to be blown away.”
In my ingenious plan,
½ 8 will be just after eight,
And just before 9.
I plan to start on Wednesday.
Stevie's Law 