.
i grow my armpit hair now, planA
dye ‘em pink —
or green? planB still in the making, see//
the thing
with frames is
that they ship them detached
in a cardboard box across a thousand bridges, canyons, hills,
i’ve made their bed
in our living room
a hammer next to them, two towels 2quench the blow
‘til someone finds–
a piece of canvas
“this huge10 meter roll is in the way of EveryThing”
&he is right
i take the staple gun
feathers stRETch &sNaP bacK
within seconds TacKtACKtaCk
&sweat runs down my legs
what’s so wrong with growing armpit hair i think, even in pink
“it’s not aesthetic”
&the canvas goes soft as i rub his forehead (very gently)
i’ve lost all fear of handling fragile surfaces
cause that is what it is
a giant frame
a giant something stretched across it
&i take and carry it into the garden, bump it at the doorframe/twice
put it up against a fence
&paint the backside
the idea is,
i’ve read once
that the canvas spans/ tigHTens
as the paint dries
&will stay there
all their life
if no one comes to rescue.
jaywalking the moon 
Ha. Hey I am all for individuality. Pink arm pit hair. Sexy. Ha. I dunno about Miley Cyrus though. I often wonder about what makes he feel she needs so much attention. Hmm, Beside the point.
Our frames define us. I think one of the challenges is realizing your frame does not always have to be so rigid. Sure the rigidity gives support, maybe it is in what we allow inside the frame, to make it on th canvas. And determining what fits our structure. Interesting philosophical thoughts popping out of this one.
Def hoping for rescue. Ha.
I love how you take episodes and occurences from your life, build a poem that’s relatable to all, with depth and lots and lots of food… for thought. The metaphors here are vast. My canvas stretches too, the paint is indelible, and the frame gets bumped when crossing doors. Oh, life.
Hmm…I know that issue with canvas all too well since I print my photos on canvas….always fear I will damage the image as I stretCH iT….another enjoyable poem…Oh…didn’t know about the pink armpit hair of Miley Cyrus…wow..wonder if it demonstrate security or insecurity in self.
I love what you did with the title. By squishing “&” and “no” together, then you get it out of the way to focus on the “one knows.” That’s why we get married; so that we can walk through life with that one person who really gets us.
I’m smiling over the “you told me about that hat” in the painting. It makes me think of your own intimate relationship with the one you understand, and the one who understands you. Every close relationship is so special, unique, and beautiful.
I love that you’re talking about frames for art, but you feature a pair of glasses in your painting. Keep ’em guessing, and always twist things up with double/triple meanings. Awesome.
These are my favorites:
“or green? planB still in the making, see//(C)
the thing”
“this huge10 meter roll is in the way of EveryThing” … Let’s just throw it out then. No one needs that annoying thing in the way.
Love the double meaning in “canvas” as well. To look across the scene, making sure you know exactly what’s going on.
“feathers retch” Ha.
“&the canvas goes soft as i rub his forehead (very gently)
i’ve lost all fear of handling fragile surfaces”
I love the “I take the staple gun” image. Like you’re gonna start attacking people if they get all up in your art space. LOL.
“what’s so wrong with growing armpit hair i think, even in pink” Ooh, methinks you just took it Dirty South, girl. You colorin’ your pubes too? 🙂
“bump it at the doorframe/twice
put it up against a fence
&paint the backside” … Ha ha ha. Super sexy.
“tigHTens” … I love this. I don’t know what you’re trying to draw out, but it makes me picture the girl version of Tigger. She’s definitely a 10. And the H is a ladder. Up, up, up … and away. Tie Gens. Connections between generations. Tying up all the girls named “Gen.” Genesis. Bread ties. Squeezing through tight holes. The white rabbit. Alice. LOL. I could go on like this FOR-EVER. I’m loopy, I know. You can call me Lupita. Mmm, pita bread. Fold and stuff. Avocado, turkey, tomato, sauce. Saw, you see? Those movies are Cray-Z.
“as the paint dr. eyes”
“rescue” = re-skew
Well done, girl. Thanks for giving me so much to play with. I know I made all of this up. 😛 But poetry is my playground!
Your descriptions are really insightful, makes the piece even more delightful to read indeed.
Your painting & your paintings have created a bit of a dimensional shift in your poetry & your life, & your solid focus on the Abstract seems to enhance the messages, the voice(s) within your poetics; really some cool transitions over the last couple years. Being a child of the 50’s I just cannot endorse armpit hair on women, pink or otherwise–same with leg hair; can’t break out of my conditioning.
Something to be said for natural beauty
On a woman, I prefer armpit hair to leg hair, but what i find sexiest of all is that little bit of mustache fuzz.
Your poor husband — clutter everywhere and pink arm pits. Ah, the price people pay to enjoy their artist lovers.
Personally, I think pink armpit hair would be very sexy. Smiles…>KB
Back in the early 70’s, I went through an uber feminist phase – I still don’t shave my arm pit hair or legs and my husband doesn’t care. I had a lover who thought it was beyond sexy and would delicately lift my arm up above my head on the pillow to twirl it around his finger….never pink though. I like how you incorporate your life and art together, the metaphors that reach forth from your canvas – I like the last stanza….and thankfully, someone came to the rescue.
We get the most out of life by stretching the canvas and eliminating a frame. Well done!
Love the art, love the poetry. Rockin pink armpit hair….definitely awesome! Buying canvas in bulk? – you’re serious for sure. Love the process of stretching and stapling. Thanks for sharing! Enjoyed reading this.
IF you are going to let your armpit hair grow, then WHY NOT dye it pink, or purple even? The thought of armpit hair, and dying it is a mind stretch for me, makes me a bit uncomfortable, but then maybe that is how the canvas feels? The thought of stretching canvas over a frame has always made me feel like it is too delicate of a thing for me to deal with. Maybe I should reconsider? 🙂
Nothing wrong with pink armpit hair…I love the sense pure freedom in this piece. My frame is a mess with chipped ends, wet cement splatter and old memories that need to be swept like crumbs under the kitchen counter, but dammit that’s me… I may dye my armpits green; would that look sickly?
I love this line: “i’ve lost all fear of handling fragile surfaces.” Canvases and blank pieces of paper are not really as fragile as we think they are. They can take our art and our words, I think, more easily than we can give them up. Perhaps it is us who are the fragile ones? Peace, Linda
Well, I guess different strokes for different folks. I guess if people don’t mind being stared at for pink or green armpit hair, more power to them. Smiles. Wow, that is quite some canvas you have. I wonder how long it will take you to fill it.
Sounds interesting.. 🙂 wouldn’t be such a bad idea 😀
Not a fan of pink armpit hair but love the stretching of the canvas & not being afraid to handle the fragile surfaces ~ I like the idea of the paint drying on the canvas, smiles ~
lol pink armpit hair you say? Hey, I guess to each their own. Will the sweat be pink too? get dyed on the way out lol
Ha ha, pink armpit hair? I guess if you have the canvas and the colors you make your own world, your own rules…
Like the rich shades of pink in the art and I’m sure I’d like pink armpit hair.
Like the way you connect your tangential thoughts to the regular business of living… go for the pink I’d say 🙂
Engaging narrative that combines thoughts & events in your life, combined with current events headlines. Awesome as always, Claudia 🙂
do you have artist block (if there is such a thing)… perhaps take a break and paint a few rock friend… anyway you’re poetry is interesting as always.
Green for starboard, red for port.
Pink armpit hair! This was something and really liked the way you linked the small anecdotes of your life.
I read something about this recently, that it’s a new fad… my problem with armpit hair is that it tickles and is hot, not aesthetic problems at all (I’m fed up with people telling me how I’m supposed to look).
I like the way you take two disparate subjects – the painting of the canvas and the armpit hair, which are like the random thoughts jiggling about in our head while we are engaged in something more important. And the way you weave and blend them with humour and grace!
Pink armpit hair is really just affirming you can be anyone you want.
What a cool painting that is…and I love your description of setting up the frame, and the process…….Neat that it will last long. Smiled at the pink armpit hair. LOL.
Love the varied layers here grounded in an artist’s meanderings. BTW, the artwork in the pic is vivid and inspiring in and of itself. Thanks for sharing!
Oh the frames of life.. do bind do restrict.. freedom of life.. oh the perspectives of canvas and colored arm pit hair.. are limitless in hues of
infinity of arm pit
hair and
PAINT..
who knew the meaning of life
is in colored arm pit hair..
THAT CAN seriously
be my
bible..
a hare
of a novel aesthetic
brush.. my friend.. in PAINT..:)
Love the way that, like art on a canvas, one can find multiple layers of meaning and interpretation in this. I especially love the line: “i’ve lost all fear of handling fragile surfaces”–and how you go on to mention bumping the canvas on the doorframe not once, but twice 🙂
beautiful artwork!
Pink armpit hair…hmmmm. I have to think about that one. Pink hair I’ve seen amongst other colors but under the arms?!? Sorry, but it made me laugh. Good post!
Claudia,
I love this poem. It is as simple as that.