The Artist by Jenny George | Poetry Magazine https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/159602/the-art...

The Artist
BY JENN Y GEOR GE

A snake lies in the open, dormant

in its sleeve of heat. A gilded orphan
on the sun-warmed dirt, eye-slits ajar,
waiting for the infinite to arrive.
You want to strike it with a stick.
You want an answer to the prayer
that says, Make use of me.
One day the old life simply sheds
its dress and flows through the stones.
Then the future wavers up in you
and stands in your throat like a flame.

Source: Poetry (March 2023)

1 of 2 25/03/2023, 21:13
The Artist by Jenny George | Poetry Magazine https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/159602/the-art...

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2 of 2 25/03/2023, 21:13