Once upon a time
a painter stole a canvas
from some people he met
and painted over their work
in flat white.
Forced some other people
to help paint over it,
painted some parts
himself…and here it is.
It’s not all terrible. Some parts
are sublime in fact. But a lot of it is dreck and
some parts are just OK. How you feel about it
depends on how far back you stand.
Inadvertently, it’s high concept
and interesting. Execution is
imperfect and inconsistent. It’s
insistent and overdrawn and
it’s all compounded by having
a terrible frame. Currently it hangs
on a wall that’s on fire. Flames loud
as a band — some say it sounds like
NWA, some say it sounds like
Lee Greenwood. It just sounds like
fire to most who see it, though some
just like closing their ears
and warming their hands before it
while staring at their favorite parts —
this perfect flower, that lovely flag —
while thinking about
happily ever after.
Dark Matter 