Cézanne, The Pond, by Clint Margrave

The Pond, by Paul Cezanne, (France) 1877-1879

Cézanne, The Pond 
 
Looks like spring has arrived 
on my Cézanne calendar. 
She often makes fun of me, 
asks who has a wall calendar
anymore, but this morning, 
a Monday, when it’s back to 
work, I look at these couples 
lounging on the grass by a pond,
and find myself somewhere in 
the French countryside. One man 
lies down, hat covering his face, 
his lady leaning over him, as if 
about to whisper something dirty, 
his right hand raised toward me, 
all but one finger blurred by 
brushstrokes, which I’m certain
is the middle one.

Clint Margrave

Clint Margrave is the author of the poetry collections Salute the Wreckage, The Early Death of Men, and most recently, Visitor, all from NYQ Books. He is also the author of the novel Lying Bastard and editor of Requiem for the Toad: Selected Poems of Gerald Locklin (NYQ Books). His work has appeared in The Threepenny Review, The Sun, Rattle, and Los Angeles Review of Books, among others. He recently served as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar to Bulgaria, living in Sofia, and teaching creative writing at Sofia University.