Two After Caspar David Friedrich, by Bruce Bennett

Landscape with Graves, by Caspar David Friedrich (Germany) 1837

Vulture on a Spade
 
There’s nothing subtle here. The vulture perched
upon the spade is craning toward the hole,
its beady eyes intent. The scene is smirched
with yellowish rot. There’s no sign of a soul.
 
And who – or what – is standing, looking on?
And are those graves, or signs? Nothing is clear,
except that every trace of hope is gone.
There’s not one single shred of comfort here.

Landscape with Grave, Coffin, Owl, by Caspar David Friedrich (Germany) 1837

​Landscape with Grave, Coffin and Owl 
  
As if a sentinel or standing guard,
the owl is on the coffin, staring hard
ahead, the pale sun just above its crown.
Before it, it would see, if looking down
 
Two shovels and a coiled rope. But no.
It’s staring fixedly ahead, as though
the coffin’s occupant’s already known.
As if it stares at you, and you alone.

Bruce Bennett

Bruce Bennett is author of ten books of poetry and more than thirty chapbooks.  His most recent chapbook is Images Into Words (The Dove Block Project, 2022), a collection of ekphrastic poems co-authored with poet Jim Crenner. Bennett was a founder and editor of the journals Field and Ploughshares, and from 1973-2014 taught Literature and Creative Writing and directed the Visiting Writers Series at Wells College. In 2012 he was awarded a Pushcart Prize. He lives in Aurora, New York. His poetry website is https://justanotherdayinjustourtown.com.