What I Once Knew (when are you coming back?)
by Abigail Davidson
—An ekphrastic poem responding to Pentimenti by Iris Zhao
100 tries at starting something new
I thought I could create peace
Through these canvases, I see you
Wondering and painting, always in blue
Shape and mold and fold and crease
100 tries at starting something new
Rehashing, crashing, a total redo
This clay is my mouthpiece
Through these fragments, I see you
Choosing colors for what I once knew
Uncovering, pentimenti traces increase
100 tries at starting something new
Wilted iris in the vase I made for you
My tangerine masterpiece
Within these walls, I lost you
What can I do to say I love you?
How long until this work will cease?
100 tries at starting something new
Through these hands, I say I love you.