Nighthawks, Edward Hopper, 1942~~~
David posted a wonderful piece of his digital art today on Edward
Hopper. I love the strong simplicity of Hopper's work. It's so very
American and exudes a certain serenity. I've seen Nighthawks at
The Art Institute of Chicago and it brings to mind a poem I read
this week by Daniel Lusk.
~~~
Understudy
.
Old men who eat alone in small cafes
arrange the silver carefully
beside the plate.
.
It crawls inside their cuffs
and edges out again along their templates
and the gothic arches of their brows.
.
Arranging is the life
now
isn't it.
.
Old men check their watches
frequently,
lest the sand run out unnoticed
onto the table by the water glass.
.
Their hands flutter
over the fork and spoon again, the knife,
as if the knife were a lost opportunity
or a love that might be set to rights.
.
Attentive as they are to these
small handles,
I suspect if they let go
.
they'll belly up with loneliness
and float off toward the ceiling fans
in all these small cafes
.
where I sit watching, hours on end,
to learn their little order,
eating alone.
