Gerard Greenway

Life in the portrait


Life in the portrait
planing in its flat
dimensions of brush-
struck paint under
varnish.

Painting, window,
portrait of me, come
into me and let
me be felt and
seen.

The plane of the
portrait, window,
surface, softly
reflective
its high-wide
shining open
window; comes
through the window
and takes me out
through the window
to be over there,
seen, seen over
there, seen here
from over there
where my image
goes to
appear

appear to me
to others-me
to me-others
appearing out there
come to me and
take me
appearing
out there
the portrait – the
seen thing –
living that life of
the portrait,
life in the
portrait.

...

The portrait
that was my
image
for that
flexion
in my
subtle
chamber
of thought
and
feeling.

The portrait
that was my
image of the
sense of my
anticipation
of the event
of a flexion
in my
mind-feeling
of a coming to me
and an opening out,
of the
intimation.

Enough to write
this.