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Three poems responsive to Xiao Yu’s exhibition

2012-11-07
Who cares whose seed it is?  The pregnancy is mine
Emotions arise from the body itself  on rivers of feeling float woman and man
carried away nature takes its course  destiny constructs a new home for the soul
if many conceptions occur unplanned  life’s plan underlies the absence of plan
when woman lies under passionate man  the seed planted the ground receptive
a change begins and its signs appear  having taken the road the term grows near
a crisis impends  maternity’s issue distends the belly with birth’s anticipation
a future develops in yesterday’s womb  tonight is as pregnant as the full moon
tomorrow (whose face no eye has seen)  breaks the silence with its primal cry
The milk of happiness
The universe is so ample  as generous as your belly
a butterly writes sweet secrets  this golden bikini
speaks modestly of opulance  on your breast suckles
an infant whom I’ve hidden  within my reticent heart
Painting and its unintended consequence
Sit a long season  with a fashion mag under your deriere
while you’re painting and looking  looking and painting
might pressure on glossy paper  imprint an elegant trace
upon the stool where you sit?  there’s many ways to paint!
David Raphael Israel
written in Xiao Yu’s Song Zhuang studio, Beijing
October 3, 2008