Self-Portrait

Many painters have done self-portraits. The one that immediately comes to mind is “Self portrait with Bandaged Ear” by Van Gogh. I’m not sure if any poets have written self-portraits or cut off any body parts. None come to mind 🤔, but share in the chat if you’ve heard of any.

While working on The Anonymity of Waiting, I decided writing a self-portrait would be an artist-y thing to do (plus, I was low on other ideas 😆). So I gave it a try, and I was pretty happy with the result. That said, I don’t know if this is a poem most people will “get” (one journal I submitted it to told me they didn’t, so, *shrug*). But even if people don’t understand how this is a portrait, I hope it will resonate in some way.

Self-Portrait

In the mirror,
a corner of overcast light
from the window,
penumbra,
and full shadow
on a silent wall.