The Ekphrastic Review
  • The Ekphrastic Review
  • The Ekphrastic Challenges
    • Challenge Archives
  • Ebooks
  • Prizes
  • Book Shelf
    • Ekphrastic Book Shelf
    • Contributors' Book Shelf
    • TERcets Podcast
  • Workshops
  • Give
  • Submit
  • Contact
  • About/Masthead

An Incomplete Alphabet, by Melissa Reeser Poulin

10/4/2016

1 Comment

 
Picture
Baby Nursing, Mexico City, by Tina Modotti (b. USA), 1926.
An Incomplete Alphabet

W-E-
A for ache, an acre, a field of oats


N for new words in your mouth, N for now, for noise: grain in a digital 
world, the random optical texture of a photograph, over-
enlarged, exposed 


a grainy image: round of cheek to round of breast
a curtain of sleeve, blouse: the round of 
earth from space is the round of the baby’s 
earring, round of her ear


Exposed on park bench, concealed under trees to 
enclose you, me:
W-E: light passing between (For 
angle, for ache) above the breast, the heart: over-enlarged in
nursing room art: Dar pecho, un regalo que dura toda una vida


a pattern just like the original light source 
as with seed, Modotti scattered sun onto film 


Not giving, this morning: I hear your chair legs 
winnow the floor, reaching for spooned oats in your father’s hand 
W-E- (for grain, for give


forgive me) & you reach 
for grain instead, for ache 
You cry my name


Pure your gentle name, pure your fragile life
Neruda wrote of Modotti when she died
& gave her a garland of earthly things
to soften her exile: a rosary of bees, shadows, fire 


Little seed, pepita, granar--we lift the leaves in your flip-flap book
“Why do flowers die?”
Because they are no longer needed


In the photograph, the baby’s mouth
blossoms over the mother’s breast


round as earth from far away

Melissa Reeser Poulin

This poem was written as part of the 20 Poem Challenge.

Melissa Reeser Poulin is a poet and writer in the Pacific Northwest. Her poems and essays appear in a variety of publications and can be viewed at melissareeserpoulin.com.


1 Comment
Mary McCarthy
10/4/2016 03:42:43 pm

Images here are hauntingly, exquisitely lovely--"a rosary of bees", the baby's earring like the round of earth seen from space, the echoing rounds of cheek, breast, earring, earth, the ache of love and tenderness...wonderful!

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    The Ekphrastic Review
    Picture
    Current Prompt
    COOKIES/PRIVACY
    This site uses cookies to deliver your best navigation experience this time and next. Continuing here means you consent to cookies. Thank you.
    Join us on Facebook:
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture



    ​
    ​Archives
    ​

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015

    Lorette C. Luzajic theekphrasticreview@gmail.com 

  • The Ekphrastic Review
  • The Ekphrastic Challenges
    • Challenge Archives
  • Ebooks
  • Prizes
  • Book Shelf
    • Ekphrastic Book Shelf
    • Contributors' Book Shelf
    • TERcets Podcast
  • Workshops
  • Give
  • Submit
  • Contact
  • About/Masthead