|Poem| Brown Desk

 

Brown Desk

-- To the “Woman before the Aquarium” by Henri Matisse (1921)

 

A desk where a woman leans her body

Brown with a touch of eggshell beige, eyes open

Or closed. Brown. The deep breaths of four fish

Round and smooth like balls

Five pinecones with thick, layered scales

A desk where the five pinecones lean to one side

A sea-blue column of water

Soaring above her head

A white, opal-colored cell phone next to her left arm

Sitting coyly on the desk, eyes open

Or closed. Brown. Where the deep breaths of four fish

Veer away sideways from woman’s face, the scene is

 

Note on Muse:

When it comes to looking at a picture or thinking, I often get overwhelmed by the sense of color rather than shapes. I have a feeling that Henri Matisse falls somewhere between Impressionist and Fauvist movements. I gaze at the countenance of the woman watching the goldfish. The desk she is resting her arms on is brown with a touch of eggshell beige.

 

© Ryang Suh, MD 2023.04.07