Faceless Lovers Poem by gershon hepner

Faceless Lovers



Faceless lovers, one who has a leg
that’s an above-the-knee prosthesis,
in the missionary position beg
for sex that must be anesthetic
since neither of them has a head. We gaze
and wonder how this couple came
to meet, while asking if they can amaze
each other, since the sex seems lame.

Inspired by a sculpture by Louise Bourgeois, Couple IV,1977, exhibited at MOCA in LA. In what looks like an old wood and glass display cabinet from a provincial museum displays two headless fabric bodies attempting to make love, but there is an emotional distance between the two. Bourgeois explains this piece as her confusion as a child after accidentally witnessing her parents making love, but the overriding sensation is of failure in general.

1/23/09

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