Nancy Scott
is the current managing editor of U.S.1 Worksheets, the journal of the U.S.1 Poets’ Cooperative in New Jersey.
She is the author of three books of poetry, Down to the Quick (2007) and One Stands Guard, One Sleeps (2009), both published by Plain View Press, and A Siege of Raptors (2010) from Finishing Line Press.
She often writes about her experiences as a social worker in the inner city.
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Still Life with Dead Rabbit and Flugelhorn
Dear Artist,
Though your work is rendered with exquisite
detail, we were not convinced that is a trout
on the pewter plate, but rather a catfish,
with all those whiskers. Is the three-tined
fork suspended in mid-air over the fish
meant to titillate our taste buds?
The symbolism of six long-stemmed roses
stuck in the wedge of Stilton and shamrocks
floating out of the donkey’s mouth eludes us.
After closely examining the painting,
we are unable to find either the dead rabbit
or the flugelhorn, which, by the way, no one
plays anymore. The window painted black
resting on an easel dominates the work.
Consider a new title:
Window Painted Black Resting on an Easel.
Get rid of everything else, then line up
five clementines to balance the palette.
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