This rant has been a long time coming. Nothing humorous about it but I keep it civil. In photos, the female gaze and work of Niki de Saint Phalle in the south of Tuscany.

---

Prompt 19: “Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a humorous rant. In this poem, you may excoriate to your heart’s content all the things that get on your nerves.” 

This rant is serious and I borrowed two of Shakespeare’s gentler insults for it. They are in italics.

Male gaze

(An elegy to a former Facebook friend whom I unfriended just before writing this poem.)

You are smart, obviously.
You like art, architecture, literature.
You have a good sense of humour.
You know beauty.
You are provocative.

Since you just quoted his
“What is the city but the people?”
you might appreciate it 
if I told you
together with William
that you are not for all markets.

You have shared my posts,
I have shared yours.
Some of them
I truly loved.

However,
no matter how much I like the edge,
pieces of poetry you choose,
thought-provoking thoughts – 
more of your conversation 
would infect my brain.

I will no longer tolerate
bare assestitsskinlegs,
poorn boombs,
seductive glances.

I will happily get rid of
those moments 
when I didn’t need to look 
above the image 
to see who was posting.

There could be only you.

Goodbye then, 
unknown man on the internet,
one in a billion,
I never loved you
but I had to kill you, 
you and your male gaze,
no matter that I know
men will gaze
just like lions will gazelle. 

Or in the words you quoted
and will be the last I ever see:
“Everybody is left 
where they made a wrong turn.” 

---

Long time no Giardino dei tarocchi (Tarot Garden) on my blog. This was the last time I visited it, February 1st 2020. I took Flavia to see it, it was her first time. The day was murky but nothing could prevent Niki’s work from shining.

This garden is just 15 minutes from me on the edge of Tuscany. The last photo is the reflection of her Dancing Nana in a Capalbio square, which is the town on the hill closest to me.

Two poems written for my two favourite sculptures with more photos:

• The Devil
• Oracle

---

For:

This day in my NaPoWriMo history (2019): My first (double) alphabet poem.

Abeceda

A bright, clear day:
each fascinating gaze
held immense joy.
 
Kid let mother near.
Opening pores.  
Quest ran smoothly  
to universal victory.

Warmly, 
xoxo,  
yours, 
Zero. 

*****

Zen you, eX!  
 
Was very upset today.
Seemed raw.  
“Queen” - preposterous,  
opera never-ending.
Might lose kindergarten job.
I hate getting fired.  
Estranged, dirty, clueless.

Best, Alpha.