Poems Written in Exile At Lake Morton, NO.98

Painting by Paul Cezanne


Poems Written in Exile at Lake Morton, NO.98



Observing Cézannes apotheosis of apples
we saw a man and woman in love.
This love was alive
in disconnected thick paint patches.
Colors broken from each other
were precious in their connect-ness.
Colors that evaded classification
turned color
into apple skin and then human skin.
We observed this love as ardent
as the love in legends: Tristan-Isolde,
Paolo-Francesa, Daphnis-Chloe,
Petrarch-Laura, Dante-Beatrice.
We had observed in life
many couples who called themselves lovers,
but the first time we had actually
witnessed lovers
was in Cézannes apotheosis of apples.


Duane Locke

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