Twins, by Lee Stockdale

Proof, 1964, by Margaret Curtis (USA) contemporary

Twins
 
In Proof, a sword by his side.
In its twin, a red ray, ostensibly the red carpet,
 
flows from his hand.
In both paintings he’s a pressure cooker.
 
He looks on at his wife—the center of attention--
in her childhood home overlooking Chattanooga.
 
She’s having such fun in her bikini costume,
the better to shake up family night.
 
Her sister, on the left, disapproves,
jealous that she’s so free with her body:
 
Practically naked in the living room, so inappropriate.
The sister can’t wait for them to go back to Bermuda.
 
Tarmac celebrates his return home. Alone.
Wherever he goes, in his mind there’s confetti.
 
His children dance and twirl, happy to see him.
It isn’t clear if he sees them.
 
Grandmother shelters the baby away,
in every family there’s at least one protector.
 
The divorce is pending, as is the pain
that requires a separate plane for the load.
 
Lee Stockdale

Lee Stockdale’s book of poems, Gorilla, was recently published by Main Street Rag Publishing Company. He and his wife, a potter, live in the Western North Carolina mountains. leestockdale.com

Margaret Curtis, a current Joan Mitchell Foundation Fellow, is the artist for Proof: 1964 and The Tarmac, both oil on board, 42” by 84”.  margaretcurtisart.com

Tarmac, by Margaret Curtis (USA) contemporary