January 01, 2010

Joseph Cornell

The Ballerina and the Box Maker

Cornell loved his Ballerina;
She of Bravas, Bouquets, and exquisite scenes,
She of bright lights and palaces in distant places.
He of dusky towers in his meadows;
Making her wonderful little things.
...
He made her miniatures in boxes:
Swans and castles,
Birds and clocks,
Soldiers in the woods,
Medichis, Cockatoos and Peacocks…
And Stars, lots of stars, in his heart.
...
She, his ballerina, danced with the stars,
In Defense d’ afficher, her fame needed none
Like a swan, but free of one of his boxes,
In Palaces like the ones he drew,
But she went where only his heart could travel,
To places his soul could fly, but his feet never knew.
...
He was a knight errant to his ballerina,
Snipping pieces of her gown to take to his tournaments.
Her feathers gave light to his urban solitude
In a tower in a meadow in the Bronx.
...
He loved her from afar,
And she, disappointed in love,
Considered him a friend.
...
But for him, only to her,
Did he save his hearts to send.
And I suspect, she saved her final dance for him

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Cornell Posted by cholte at January 1, 2010 08:42 PM

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