Ekphrastic Poems
Jonathan Penton
These poems are based on pieces in the New Orleans Sculpture Garden. The title of the poems are taken from the title of the sculptures.
Sitting Figures (2)
Lynn Chadwick
British, 1914-2003
Sitting Figures (2), 1979-80
Bronze
Gift of Sydney and Walda Besthoff, 98.131
Installation funded by Mr. and Mrs. Charles S. Reily Jr.
I have been faceless, now, for ten thousand years.
It is neither punishment nor reward.
Look at me:
I promise I can look back.
Everything works within me
as well as inside you:
I have lost something you need,
but I remain content.
Have you seen my arms, my legs, my breasts?
They’re a little unusual, I grant you.
I am not afraid to be proud of them.
Heroic Man
Gaston Lachaise
British, born in France, 1882-1935
Bronze, edition 1/6
Gift of Syndey and Walda Besthoff, 2000.209
Installation funded in memory of Mrs. Richard W. Freeman
My skull is very small.
Everyone notices.
People describe me as having a wisdom of the body.
In some mouths, that means I’m beautiful.
In all mouths, that means I’m a fool.
Now I am scarred.
Covering one arm
both shoulderblades
down one scapula.
Now the wisdom of my body is keloid.
My skull no longer houses the windows to my soul.
Large Pulcinella
Sorel Etrog
Canadian, born in Romania, 1933
Large Pulcinella, 1965-67
Bronze
Gift of Sydney and Walda Besthoff, 99.132
Installation funded by William and Jane O’Malley
This lockdown
is
the point.
My blade
is one
with my crossguard.
The guard
is hopelessly
twisted.
This frustration
is more than
a symptom.
In 1998, Jonathan Penton founded UnlikelyStories.org, an electronic journal of literature and art. Since then, he has lent editorial and management assistance to a number of literary and artistic ventures, such as MadHat, Inc., the New Orleans Poetry Festival, Rigorous, and Big Bridge. In 2005 he founded Unlikely Books. His poetry books are Last Chap (Vergin’ Press, 2004), Blood and Salsa and Painting Rust (Unlikely Books, 2006), Prosthetic Gods (New Sins Press/Winged City Chapbooks, 2008), Standards of Sadiddy (Lit Fest Press, 2016), and the free e-chap BACKSTORIES, which you can download from Argotist e-books. He lives in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.