April 24, 2008
Like Twins or Unibrows, but Different
Posted by 9to5poet under NaPoWriMo, art and writing | Tags: frida kahlo, self portraits, why do I always write about shells? |Back at the beginning of NaPoWriMo, Christine wrote an article at read. write. poem., that summarized some experimental forms. One of the forms she described was the Rothko, which a poet writes when looking at a painting by Rothko. There are other artist-forms, and people commented on other possible permutations.
After that, I thought a Frida Kahlo form would be cool. Kahlo created self-portraits that relied heavily on her subconscious and her self-image, so I thought a self-portrait with flaws would be apropos. I never wrote anything on it until this morning, when this poem occurred to me while I was showering. The subconscious is an amazing thing.
Self-Portrait with Flaws
after Frida Kahlo
I am not sewn together or shorn. I am
cobbled together and clunky. I am unsmooth
and imperfect, a trembling vessel
riddled with dings.
I am encased in shells, invisible
layers of lacquer and shine. But I am also
spiderwebbed with cracks, thin fissures
zigzagged across my skin. I am
permeable, though I rarely admit this.
Crack me open, like an egg
and you will find
the soft structure of my self
sleeping, unprotected, inside.
April 24, 2008 at 7:14 pm
I love this. (She’s one of my favorites.) Great sub-conscious activity; outstanding result.
And oh, so relatable.
May 2, 2008 at 3:34 am
Your poem brings up images of a sculpture made of found objects because of the word “cobbled,” and then all the different textures.
But the self is a soft structure, under the layers. It really does sound like it could describe Frida herself, even though the poem is about an undisclosed narrator.
I like the abstract interpretation of Kahlo.
The unconscious is a marvelous invention!
Thanks for the shout out.