Oracle and the Green Bird, by M.J. Arcangelini

The Oracle and the Green Bird, by Wifredo Lam (Cuba). 1947.

Oracle and the Green Bird

half drunk by the
burlap it lives on -
a rough patch of crude
stitching like a hastily
darned and poorly
healed wound lies
half-way up the left
plane of the canvas
not belonging to this image
but owning the space in
ways paint only aspires to
both oracle and bird must find
a way to exist with this tattered,
crosspatched burlap background
- and they do.


M.J. Arcangelini

M.J. Arcangelini was born 1952 in western Pennsylvania.  He has resided in northern California since 1979. He began writing poetry at age 11, stories in his teens and memoirs in his late 40′s. His work has been published in a lot of little magazines, small newspapers and 9 anthologies.  He is the author of two poetry collections: “With Fingers at the Tips of My Words” 2002 and “Room Enough” 2016. Arcangelini maintains an occasional blog of poetry and prose at https://joearky.wordpress.com/