​On Seeing Agnes Martin's Night Sea, by Jim Wolper

Night Sea, by Agnes Martin (US, b. Canada) 1963

​On Seeing Agnes Martin's Night Sea

I did not know this painting, though I know
The artist well.  Blue, big as the ocean,
On my phone a pale blue dot. No picture
Can capture the the way it moves and changes
As you move your eyes from patch to patch and
Back again. People pop in and study
Just one patch. Can they think they've seen it all?
Persistence of memory makes each glance
New, eye expecting something else, not rip
Tides phosphorescent, pulling out to sea.

Jim Wolper

Jim Wolper, professional pilot, former professor, and passionate cook, writes poetry, fiction, travel pieces, and philosophical essays, as well as technical work in Mathematics and in Aviation. His work has appeared in Free Lit, Cenizo Journal, and many technical journals. His chapbook Misdirections will appear soon from Finishing Line Press. He and his wife live with their corgi near Portland, OR.