Golden Age, by Catherine Fletcher

Majas on a Balcony, by Francisco Goya (Spain) 1800-1810

Golden Age   
​                                                                                                                                                                               
These majas—                                                                                                  
in dresses of spun sugar, 
on balconies, behind fans--
display plump breasts like half-opened gifts,
lines and curves thrumming like violins.

No infantas with entourages--
still lives designed by god-kings’ whims— 
nor drab mothers churning 
butter in the background
with wool on spindles 
waiting, 

these majas unveil                     
lives that spill beyond objets d’art frames,
curating the gazes of old masters
across the ages, 
curating the ever-present I’s who consume.

Catherine Fletcher

Catherine Fletcher is a writer based in Virginia, USA. Recent work has appeared in The Inflectionist Review, New World Writing, The Hopper, Kissing Dynamite, Hopkins Review, and the concert series Concept Lab. She was a TWP Science and Religion Fellow at Arizona State University from 2016-18. More at http://cafletcher.blogspot.com.