Pablo Picasso’s Guernica, by Ilona Martonfi

Guernica, by Pablo Picasso (Spain) 1937

Pablo Picasso’s Guernica
 
The village’s been here,
here where we’re standing 
 
by the Urdaibai estuary
 
inscribed in the sand of skulls
Octavio Vázquez's Piano trio no.1, "Gernika”
a violinist, the cellist
they play and there’s
 
the church bell that rings
during the Spanish Civil War
 
it’s market day, in the main square
where many people die
when the bombs start to fall
April 26,1937
 
a mural-sized oil painting
 
in black, grey, and white
matte monochrome
 
come see a horse, and a bull
come see
the wailing women,
the dead child.

Ilona Martonfi

​This poem first appeared in Lantern Magazine.

Read another ekphrastic poem by Ilona, on Georgio Morandi,  here. (Scroll down)

Ilona Martonfi is an editor, poet, curator, advocate and activist. Author of four poetry books, the most recent collection is Salt Bride (Inanna, 2019). Forthcoming, The Tempest (Inanna, 2022). Writes in journals, anthologies, and seven chapbooks. Her poem “Dachau on a Rainy Day” was nominated for the 2018 Pushcart Prize. Artistic director of Visual Arts Centre Reading Series and Argo Bookshop Reading Series. QWF 2010 Community Award.