St. Teresa Magdalene
“his sky-blue eyes that come out nearly white in the photographs
of the day” ~ Edmund White
“cruel light blue eyes” and his “strong red mouth with the bitter
fold in it—mysticism and sensuality in spades” ~ Paul Verlaine
What color is a sky of blue? The tint
Can be of fluorite or slanted more to
Lead. Maybe it can even have a hint
Of navy ring around it. Darker blue
Might underscore the lighter shade as dark
Ink stroked beneath a word that needs to be
Pinpointed in a righteous draft. The stark
Encirclings Paul omits to mention. He
Implies them in that crucial “cruel,” though.
Perhaps the “strong red mouth” imposed its will
Quite bitterly. That folded kiss was so
Contemptuous that deep blue ranked as nil.
The mystic portraits showing stares as white
Are truest. They portend a poet’s blight.
