J. Chamberlain
Lots of accidents
stabilizing this tau-
crossed room
of adobe
shade, spaced
out with crumpled cars
Upon the concrete seal
float squares of light
sun-thaw, snow unsealed
Copyright © 2018 by Jeffrey Yang. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on November 2, 2018, by the Academy of American Poets.
“Twenty-two painted and chrome-plated steel sculptures by John Chamberlain can be found in the former Marfa Wool and Mohair Building across from the post office at the center of town by the railroad tracks. The permanent installation is maintained by the Chinati Foundation, a contemporary art museum integrated into the desert landscape of Marfa, Texas, and founded by Donald Judd. I imagine entering the space not knowing anything about Chamberlain’s art, like a traveler suddenly happening upon an unfamiliar symbolic order of things made and arranged with reverence. This is a part of a cluster of poems in my new book that engage with the Chinati artworks.”
—Jeffrey Yang
Jeffrey Yang
Jeffrey Yang is the author of Line and Light (Graywolf Press, 2022); Hey, Marfa (Graywolf Press, 2018); Vanishing-Line (Graywolf Press, 2011); and An Aquarium (Graywolf Press, 2008).