Still Life
after Caravaggio
Light freckles the fruit basket.
The green pear has reached its peak,
a nipple waiting for a mouth.
A persimmon clings to the spine
of a broken stem. Along the woven rim,
black grapes have been crushed
in shadow. An apple worm has bored a hole.
Fig leaves curl into scythes and dangle
as if from tiny gallows. The worm inches on
in search of a different heaven.
PAULETTE GUERIN is a graduate of the MFA program at the University of Florida. She lives in Arkansas and teaches English at Harding University. Inspired by Thoreau’s Walden, she is building a tiny cabin on seven acres (with pond) and blogging about the experience at pauletteguerinbane.wordpress.com. Her poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in Best New Poets 2018, ep;phany, Concho River Review, The Tishman Review, 2 River View, and others. She also has a chapbook, “Polishing Silver”.
Twyckenham Notes 