Thanks, John. My parents are Sicilian, hence my interest in an argument between Greece and Sicily over who owned the Aphrodite featured at the Getty Museum. My screenplay about that conflict was nearly made into a film by the old United Artists; at least this little poem was actually published!
Double Take
My camera’s on the seven feet
of Aphrodite.* From Sicily,
this goddess wears a placid face
above the clinging chiton that
tempestuously churns about her—
a bold display of power, focused
on her rising arm. My little
girl stands dwarfed before this force.
Demure and tentative, she poses,
purses lips to hide her braces,
imitates the stance behind her
as she takes a step toward me.
My zoom lens magnifies this prize:
her wave, archaic smile and eyes.
*Repatriated to Sicily, March 2011
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Ralph
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