Poetry by Nancy Nowak
Day in and
up, elevated to the first
piece held in its cell, swarms
of visitors graze on
to the next, descending
away from
Picasso’s late self-
portrait, his hungering gaze
you’d know, my love, if you could
close in.
No matter our rank, we workers
keep watch over
what at times feels ours, so
after the head guard
sends the last tourists spiraling
out and commandeers
the take from my Front Desk shift
like a bluff, beneficent
uncle, he sends me home
to collect you for a private viewing
proud to break
an unwritten rule
no curator would consider.
The Museum glows, evening-lit
as you unlock
tiers of meaning in each
figure and gesture, each tribute
to forebears in a history
Picasso became
as he painted
his final night’s work.
No one else ever
will know we were here
beyond the three of us
joined by the fourth.
Nancy Nowak’s poetry appeared most recently in The Comstock Review, Poeming Pigeon, Timberline Review, and Willows Wept Review. Previously published work is found at www.nancynowakpoetry.com. From 1994 – 2016, she was an Associate Professor of Humanities at Umpqua Community College. She lives in Winston, OR.
