Max Beckmann, Self Portrait in Tuxedo, 1927 "It is my fortune, or misfortune, that I can see neither all in black nor all in white. One vision alone would be much simpler and clearer, but then it would not exist.” Max Beckmann Facing you, my audience, with this impassive frontal stare, I am twentieth century Mittel Europa’s flower, man of the hour, not poor bare unaccommodated man, but the thing itself, civilized product of the culture of a continent. Composed, in a stance of command, I am the owner of my face. My suit is armour, the drawing room’s armour, salon’s, the city’s. Promethean man, I am owner of fire; the cigarette in my hand tells you I command it. There is nothing ambiguous about these statements. They are declared in the black and white blocks of colour in my portrait, black tux, white evening shirt, black tie, the black and white patches of shadow and light on my face, hands, white dash of cigarette, blocks of colour that define my absolute authority, unquestioned, unquestionable. Have I given you enough reasons to question? Sandra Kohler Sandra Kohler is a poet and teacher. Her third collection of poems, Improbable Music, (Word Press) appeared in May, 2011. Earlier collections are The Country of Women (Calyx, 1995) and The Ceremonies of Longing, winner of the 2002 Associated Writing Programs Award Series in Poetry (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2003). Her poems have appeared in journals, including The New Republic, The Beloit Poetry Journal, Prairie Schooner, and many others over the past 40 years.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
The Ekphrastic Review
COOKIES/PRIVACY
This website uses marketing and tracking technologies. Opting out of this will opt you out of all cookies, except for those needed to run the website. Note that some products may not work as well without tracking cookies. Opt Out of CookiesJoin us: Facebook and Bluesky
April 2025
|