hops, spins, pirouettes
an ekphrasis: Pablo Picasso, Paul dressed as a harlequin, 1924
Portrait of a harlequin
Blank-faced, slumped in place,
straightened by Sunday best,
receding into hockey gear,
piano-recital taffeta;
eyes, smiles, that
blink away applause
as the shutter opens—
at the family photo salon.
Surely the great man
knew the tradition:
harlequin is nothing
if not nimble. Still,
he could not resist
the parental impulse:
expect little
from your precious
beyond the dressing up—
great hops and spins,
pirouettes from a child
who can but sit
and be ordinary.



"harlequin is nothing / if not nimble. Still," -- great mastery here, Alan!
I also feel there’s some autobiography sneaking in here with the Canada-esque mention of hockey gear.