Portrait of a Man (Possibly Joseph) by Théodore Géricault (1822-1823)
Tell me your dreams
your boyhood looms large
in proud lips
and discerning stares
the water pools at your feet
breathing in the spurts
and taps
the dance of long ago
stories you’ve heard
from a land you can still smell
but will never again see
separated
their ignorance you forgive
it’s how you survive
in higher realms now
Red your heart
laying bare
on this oil canvas
wishing for one
who would see you
longing