The Benin Head

was at an exhibition of African combs their was a Benin bronze of a woman's head as enigmatic as the Mona Lisa

       Not looking fixed on  no somewhere

       Somewhere in the viewers invaded psyche

       The eyelids hover around an incommunicado

       Ideal cheeks, ideal chin,lips inviting

       They speak mystery - our untouched mystery

       The coned hair launched this journey

       Eyes glided as an awed affection

       Cheeks brushed a regal metal skin

       Note the ears quick sketched arabesque

       All resolve our caste to homage

       Within the bronze dark her hauteur

       Ideas are repulsed as a disrespect

       We faun around this deep gravitas

       A life encased in assured statuary

       Lost to our ignorance of passing

Reviews

[Cryingkate]

I don't really feel there is room for any comment here. this seems written as a stiff observance that is straight cut here.
But perhaps that is the point of it all. I hear written in stone in my ears and that takes me to:
The Beautiful Lady is a stone and stuck behind an encasement. With a haughty noble look that can do nothing to help herself ,yet she is haughty.

[Michael Oliver]

I think you get the point - whatever we are is immaterial to this statue for all the effect she had on me

[Cryingkate]

I'm pretty sure that there is more to this then I am comprehending, Would you mind sharing in more details of what affects and how this statue affected you?

[Cryingkate]

In fact I would love to know, your thoughts on the Mona Lisa.. She has always been one of my delightful Haunts...

[Michael Oliver]

There is a great critique of the mona lisa I read years ago which was at the back of my mind when I wrote this. The head was in an exhibition of African combs I went to last year in Cambridge at the FitzWilliam - Cambridge is only about an hour away I go there most months - mainly go some excellent Pimms in the summer months down the Mill a pub on the Cam one can stand on the bridge and watch the punts the people the water - its cool - it is about the clash of cultures media everyting the difficulty of saing anything and being understood, I suppose.

[Cryingkate]

Was she by chance Neferti ?

[Michael Oliver]

no she was from the Ife culture - a fine Benin bronze

[Emrick]

You wrote with high skills, i couldnt grasp a thing. I wish to know the theme of this poem.

[Michael Oliver]

It is about the alooffness of a Benin bronze of a womans head I saw at an exhibition of African Combs in the Fitzwilliam museum in Cambridge - inscrutable mysterious enigmatic - it had regal quality about it - a haughtiness about it - this is more a map of my impressions and internal dialogue trying to touch the internal being of the cast bronze - sorry to be obscure - but that is sadly how I am

[Emrick]

Thank you for the explanation Mr.Michael.