Still Life with Lemons, Oranges, and a Rose (1633)
—Francisco de Zurbarán
Like two
giant’s hands,
shade and
gravity collude
to squeeze away
the light and leave
the clay, rued
Zurbarán. Which
means he has to
find a counter way
to paint, unless he
wants his oranges
too to stick, glued
into a lump
like candy. And
now his wife
is sick.
—Kay Ryan
Kay Ryan's The Best of It: New and Selected Poems will be out in March 2010 from Grove Press. She is currently serving a second term as Poet Laureate of the United States.
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