ekphrastic
Vicki Wade, Garden Chef
A Student of English as a Second Language Describes a Painting A fat cook is watching vegetables. Thus the student, in his new language, describes what he sees in the painting, the painting of— no, I can’t say here, not without a re-phrasing, a first language second-hand re-framing, such that his words could be made a tad ridiculous, fail even. Well, the man’s middle seems roundish, I guess; his chin plumpish, one might accept. But is he 'fat'? Is he even 'watching'? He could, I suppose, be watching something do something, ripen say, or rot; he could be making sure something doesn’t stray, do something untoward, escape the garden, something. Okay, I know what the painting is of, could tell you, but ignore me, I really should hold back, leave it to him, for without the thing itself, and the student, here to allow assent, reader, listener, no more indeed can be said than this: a fat cook is watching vegetables. .
Very nice. (The cook is also looking directly at the painter.)
Really like how your work is evolving, some really interesting posts in the last few weeks!