Remedios Varo at the Art Institute

by Susan Rich

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I want to be the woman flying 
toward art, who prefers the surreal

                          painting over any man, even new love.

Varo believed music could alter the air;
she transcribed notes into colors

                        of the future: Bicycle Transmission with Crystals, 

Eyes on the Table, The Creation of the Birds—
speaking to the interior me—

                        the aviary. Her mistress-pieces in decalcomania 

and tidelines—transfer and sgraffito—
cajole me towards experiential realms.

                        O admirable and elusive goddesses,

Remedios wrote to friends. Her umbrella sculpture of chicken 
and turkey bones, the fable uncovered in faux archeology:

                        the object as a mystery. She knew.

The umbrella’s true function under 
careful consideration.

                        Perhaps the folds are pterodactyl

wings, a tired heart, an androgynous 
unicyclist pedaling just above us.

                        Remedio’s mind a source of comedy, 

a juggler, a font.

                        And suddenly, I’m left  

in a plural universe, trilling 
this aria—this orange flicker of a song.

Susan Rich

Susan Rich has authored 6 poetry books earning awards from PEN USA, Fulbright Foundation, and US Peace Corps Writers. Her recent collections include Birdbrains: A Lyrical Guide to Washington State Birds, Blue Atlas, and Gallery of Postcards and Maps: New and Selected Poems. Along with Kelli Russell Agodon, she edited Demystifying the Manuscript: Essays and Interviews on Creating a Book of Poems . Her poems appear in The Bennington Review, Ploughshares, World Literature Today and Witness. Susan lives in Seattle, WA and directs Poets on the Coast: A Weekend Retreat for Women.

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