Bust of a Woman, by Maureen Sherbondy

Retrospective Bust of a Woman, by Salvador Dali (Spain), 1933.

Bust of a Woman
​
Pose with bread on your head
like a hat and a balancing act
of a man and a maid beside 
the toilet and a bin for laundry
and a pen. Stare out beyond
the framed air while ants
race up your face, parade 
near your ear and on the  
rising road of your lip. While
monkey-like men dance 
on your collar necklace
and the harvest rests
on your neck in a scarf
of corn, husked and tied 
from behind. No discourse
here but balance and oddity
merged on a bust waiting
to be noticed and understood. 

Maureen Sherbondy
​
Maureen Sherbondy’s latest poetry book is Belongings. She teaches English at ACC in Graham, NC.