Albert Bartolomé, "The Artist’s Wife Reading," 1883
Represent your elegant, dying wife
Leaving her traitorous body behind
Temporarily, for another life
Thanks to a novel, legible but blind
How did you feel, watching her read and die?
Is that what is really depicted here?
Were brush and pigment your means to defy
Disease, disintegration, loss and fear?
How casually we talk about love
Could it be the will to embarrass death?
Perhaps the novel, the power thereof
Is the key, for she breathed her final breath
Long ago, but like the protagonist
Of the tale, she continues to exist
About the Creator
D. J. Reddall
I write because my time is limited and my imagination is not.
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Comments (6)
"The will to embarrass death," is an incredible concept. Wonderful work.
"How casually we talk about love Could it be the will to embarrass death?" such rich lines D.J.! A powerful ekphrastic!
The magic of reading to fend off a death, a lovely idea!
Oooo, the will to embarrass death, I especially loved that!
Such a deep, thoughtful piece! Love how it blends life, loss, and the magic of stories. The way you tie everything together is powerful yet subtle. Very intriguing!
Could it be the will to embarrass death? What a wonderful line I am not the best person to comment on poetry but there is something about this that feels like it was written many years ago