Poetry
The Frenchman’s Hands
Rebecca Weigold
issue four
After Glass of Water and Coffeepot by Jean Siméone Chardin (FR) 1760
Parisian artist observes in cap and spectacles:
poverty assembled on a stone from Creuse.
Coffee pot forged in Normandy, memories
shaped and fired in copper, its rustic
history obscure and forgotten. Pungent garlic
bulbs and sprigs of sage from Provence wait,
ready to be chopped, sautéed, fill the air
with spice and earth. A farmer makes the sign
of the cross over the humble beginnings
of his Aïgo Boulido to ward off ailment,
summon blessings to dying fields. Light through
an opening spills into a glass of water.
The painter eavesdrops on the sun’s luminous
testimony to the labor of so many hands:
the calloused, weathered, veined, arthritic.
And with short strokes of his brush, his own
tremulous hands tell of the struggle to survive
while a beacon of enlightenment breaks through
ominous shadows, warns of a growing restlessness
and the coming Revolution.
About the Author
Rebecca Weigold studied Theatre and English, specializing in poetry, at Northern Kentucky University. She has held positions including Editorial Assistant at F&W Publications in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Editor at ITP/Southwestern Educational Publishing, also based in Cincinnati. Her poetry has been featured in or is forthcoming in publications such as BlazeVox, The Ekphrastic Review, Rat’s Ass Review, Tipton Poetry Journal, The Tishman Review, and others. She is a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee. Additionally, she is proud to have participated in the renowned Uptown Poetry Slam on multiple occasions, hosted by Marc Smith at the historic Green Mill in Chicago.
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