(for the installation artist Ilya Kabakov, on a corner of his sky)
(and to Emilia Kabakov, who I think, surely must BE his angel)
if he paints the moon in a corner of the sky
it is because he knows there cannot be a page large enough
to contain either moon or sky
and so this is a gesture
a gesture made to perhaps angels
angels he has left traps for
appropriately painted in pale rose
with golden scrolls on them and harps variously
lightly scented with violets from another era
in order to pose to them the one question
he has saved up to ask
since childhood.
does the moon know if the angels will come
will the sky become overcast
so that he will not know if they have come
if they have remained on the threshold
because of the sticky angel art gum
he positioned there
to catch them unaware
or so that their gowns are caught on a golden nail
just sticking up from the floorboard
since they are prone only
to look at each ceiling sistine like;
as if it were filled with stars;
the memory of Whose we are
and Who is looking for us.
mary angela douglas 2 june 2020
It would be good to read a narrative poem about how you learned about Ilya Kabakov
You have written quite a few poems about Ilya Kabakov. Reading this makes me wonder how you found his artworks? Your appreciations of his artworks show a spiritual kinship. You are able to enter his world.
And how could you know that the moon's placement in the corner signifies celestial distances?
I want to see what an angel trap looks like. I think you recognized it because you are on the artist's wavelength and you have a tendency to imagine angels.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
In your other poems I don't see imagery from conceptual art. Were Ilya Kabakov's installations a doorway for you into this art genre? '