by Howard Hain
Henri Matisse, French, 1869-1954
Red Madras Headdress (Le Madras rouge)
1907, Oil on canvas, The Barnes Foundation
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Rosy cheeks
Crimson lips
A funky handkerchief upon your head
Taking a break from cleaning?
Or just pretending?
Ah!
Perhaps a gypsy?
No, perhaps all three.
———
Yes
More to be seen
A portrait from the past
A figure of old
A testament
Of what’s redeemed
A harlot
No more
Seven demons
Cast away
Setting sail
Completely freed
Eyes on distant shores
Flag full staff
Bones properly buried
A pirate turned parakeet
Pastels all a flutter
Colors abound
Novelty renewed
A romance for sure
Mysterious winds
Exotic islands
Far off lands
Yet so close
Milk and honey
Set before
Within arm’s reach
Right and just
An adopted child
Now full heir
———
Innocence discovered
Virginity returns
Chastity on full display
Fact as fiction
Stories unfold
Promises foretold
A man and then a woman
A rib and a garden
A paradise and nothing to do
A lie and a sneaky snake
A revolving sword
Set a fire
Brother against brother
An ark that floats
Sent off in twos
A raven and a dove
A father in faith
Journey unknown
A far-flung place
Boys will be boys
Brotherly mischief
Here we go again
Slavery and sphinx
Mercy tries once more
Thru the red gate
Chariots and legions
Encased in sea
Wandering and wandering
“Listen to me!”
Bread from heaven
Fowl falling from the skies
Striking rocks
Water shoots forth
Time to settle down
Conquer some giants
Crisscross a river
An ark on two poles
A new occupied land
Vineyards and fields
Laws and oaths
Judges and kings
Forgetting and forgetting
Just who it is
Who gives them life
What is God to do with such a man?
The shepherd boy
Last in line
One more try
Singing psalms
Prophecy
He fits the mold
The mind of Christ
We are told
———
A tiny young woman
A just upright man
Stables and sages
Stars and circumcision
“The carpenter’s son?”
Yes, crafting a table
To stand upheld
Shape of a cross
Used too as a crib
A born-again bed
For those about to die
Back to a table
A kingdom spread
A feast to behold
The Son not spared
The Bread of Life
Broken and blessed
“Father forgive them…”
“They know not what they do…”
———
Mary of Magdala
First to the tomb
Her and the gardener
Alone and renewed
“Mary”
“Rabboni!”
“Don’t yet cling to me”
“But what then shall I do?”
Sit and stare
Inwardly explore
Externally ignore
Signs of the past
Others still may see
But within your chamber
Mine all mine
Extra virgin
The Garden of Eve
Betrothed and beautified
Originality set free
No trace of sin to fall
Now cover your hair
You are my bride!
For you I shall return
A dove within a cleft
Won’t be left alone
———
A handmaid
A wife
A disciple
A model
A muse
Positioned in a cane-back chair
Awaiting the Word
To open the door
Now
Yes now
An acceptable time
Behold
“I stand”
“I knock”
“I AM”
Open the door:
“Lift high your heads…”
“Grow higher, ancient doors…”
“Let him enter, the king of glory!”
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Henri Matisse, French, 1869-1954
Red Madras Headdress (Le Madras rouge)
1907, Oil on canvas, The Barnes Foundation
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