Men said,
she painted like a woman:
femine lines.
O'Keeffe said,
no,
I paint like
the possessed.
2.
Sometimes, if you empty your
self into a windless
desert like a cow skull
bleached white,
you find yourself
in a different space
of positive energy
like the morning star
becomes a hibiscus
other times,
it is never like this
3.
When O'Keeffe started out
no one understood
the invisible
she had to paint it
some men
were narrow-minded
did not see or understand it
even though it was there
for anyone to see
but women,
on the other hand,
understood
on a deeper
primeval level
like cactus
finds water
where there is none
and knows
how to cherish it
women
always understand
silence
and patience
[+]
Martin Willitts Jr. has 6 full-length collections
including contest winner "Searching For What
Is Not There" (Hiraeth Press, 2013) and over
20 chapbooks of poetry including contest winner
"William Blake, Not Blessed Angel But
Restless Man" (Red Ochre Press, 2014).
