de Kooning, the Dutchman at MOMA, by Maria Lisella

Pink Angels, by Willem de Kooning (USA, b. Netherlands), 1945.

de Kooning, the Dutchman at MOMA
Epigram: He was lucky in being by temperament, chronically hungry and omnivorous.

First, great yellows
​swathed, brushed, smeared,
streaks fat and thin
The circus is in town.

Second, slashes of red
drawing the eye to corners
for no particular reason,
I spot them and follow.

Red, my favorite colour
as a child, tomatoes,
heart-shaped Red Hots,
a red velvet dress.

Third, riotous pink
His busty Pink Angels
a hint of wicked wings
escape from layers of paint

He drew, he painted, he scraped
Feminists derided him, never
dismissed him, impossible
to ignore.

Venuses of Willendorf –
rotund, massive
on muscular legs, giant bottoms
Fellini-esque, shouting sirens.

Fourth, pink and red together
To form giant mouths,
barracuda grins he once saw
on a ladies’ magazine and could never forget.

They say he lost
his mind, the canvas is clear
but for ribbons -- red, blue, yellow
banners fat and thin across white snow.

Maria Lisella

​Maria Lisella is the sixth Queens Poet Laureate 2015-2018. Her Pushcart Prize-nominated work appears in Thieves in the Family (NYQ Books), Amore on Hope Street and Two Naked Feet. Her work is also included in The Traveler''s Vade Mecum (Red Hen Press, 2017). She co-curates the Italian American Writers Association readings on 2nd Saturdays. By day, she is a NY Expert for USA TODAY and a contributor to La Voce di New York.