Long Gesso Poems

Awaiting a growth spurt that never happened

When a boy,
I wanted to be as tall as my father
(he passed away October seventh
two thousand and twenty
linkedin to congestive heart failure),
who stood at his prime
about six feet and...

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When I was young, I had these dolls, in various guise and shapes,
The first was been the simplest; in it no single garment
or any ornament embedded, but only made of clay and heights four inches,
“Imperfect...

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When I was young, I had these dolls, in various guise and shapes,
The first was been the simplest; in it no single garment
or any ornament embedded, but only made of clay and heights four inches,
“Imperfect...

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Lying in bed, the light of my computer bright
against the still images slowly changing on the silent TV across the room.
Despoiling the image,
nine seventeen, pm
stands out on the bottom of the screen.
My tired head resting...

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He ran the palm of his hand across the canvas,
Felt its soft, smooth surface, excellent fabric.
It was well primed with gesso, and he was sure
The end result would be an immortal masterpiece
   ...

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TORRE DE BABEL
Busco a Paz
encontro confusão,
isto é verdade 
na Babel da religião.

Raça, tribo, nação
em todo planeta,
línguas em confusão,
paz não aceita.

Deus, O grande Eu sou,
Pai da humanidade,
Não da religião,
quer a Sua Verdade.

Por caminhos toscos,
caminha o homem,
em...

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When he starts a new painting,
Canvas stretched taut against the defining frame,
Gesso-coated smooth and even,
Pure and uniform…
How does he begin?

Are his tubes of paint arrayed in careful rows,
Summer colors first – winter colors last?
Is the...

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To picture this:
the artist in her truest form:
Morning light in dusty shafts
nipping her wild hair to burn,
Turpentine fingers to print the palette
Dark sienna, aquamarine,
blues on a canvas with gesso skin
a favorite cd to play, repeat
Lips...

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It snowed last night.
Sometime after the New Year arrived
And left everything pristine
Covered in a thick gesso 
Applied by Mother Nature
For just such an occasion
As I looked upon this glory 
I realized it was a gift
A...

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Here's a tangled    thready    mass of dental floss
Glued on some canvas board with gesso
Each layer of the spider's snare dyed a different color
One layer dried    then...

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(after a drawing by Ghirlandaio)

We see that it was dashed off in a trice,
without a trace of reticence or nerve.
The contrapposto thigh, the shoulder’s curve,
are perfect. Nothing wasted.  All precise.
And yet it has the...

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Memories of  a  love I’m losing
arrested  thoughts on sculpture paper-
an altered photograph, adorned
 by hand cut leaves, evergreen shades, and lace
From the page emits, cricket songs
 drifting  to gloaming,  and...

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Every day is a fresh start, a new beginning.
We can reinvent ourselves
We can be revitalized and inspired.
We can instill hope and love in others.

Every face we make, every word we utter
Every movement of our eyes...

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