What He Sees, by Mary McCarthy

Delusions of Grandeur, sculpture by Rene Magritte (Belgium), 1967.

What He Sees
 
is your body
broken
layered like a set
of nesting dolls
each one diminished
less and less complete
the smallest at the center
closest to whole
an armless headless torso
the body’s core
rising from the shell
of a pelvis
that rises from the cradle
of your sex
both offered and
infolded
given the lead
magnified and closer
than any other fragment
daring us to notice
what is missing-
the hands, the face
the voice

Mary McCarthy

This poem was written as part of the surprise ekphrastic challenge on Magritte's paintings.
​
Mary McCarthy has always been a writer, but spent most of her working life as a Registered Nurse. She has had many publications in journals, including Earth's Daughters, Caketrain, and The Evening Street Review, among others. She has only recently discovered the vibrant poetry communities on the internet, where there is so much to explore and enjoy.