A Postcard of Christ Carrying the Cross, by Patrick Donnelly

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend March 17, 2015   A Postcard of Christ Carrying the Cross,   Patrick Donnelly

circle of Giovanni Bellini circa 1505 oil on wood, is what he fits between his third and fourth weekly pill boxes,   to remind himself to reorder. His routine about the anti- virals is of greater magnitude, maybe, than the one in which   Mrs. Gardner used to place a vase of violets in front of the painting, when she owned it. This card’s only   a reproduction of the Passion, not the original. But we’ve seen how imitation and daily use can make of pity and fear   an almost cozy utensil. The Savior’s torso is pointed toward the royal climb, but his unreadable eye turns out,   loosing on you, passerby, a tear of blood and milk.            Copyright © 2015 by Patrick Donnelly. Used with permission of the author. About This Poem   “The man in the poem might have chosen any postcard as an aide-mémoire—that he chose this postcard, for this purpose, is a poem.” —Patrick Donnelly   Patrick Donnelly is the author of Nocturnes of the Brothel of Ruin (Four Way Books, 2012). He directs the poetry seminar at The Frost Place, and lives in South Deerfield, Massachusetts. Most Recent Book by Donnelly   Nocturnes of the Brothel of Ruin (Four Way Books, 2012) "Mnemonic" by Li-Young Lee "The Parallel Cathedral" by Tom Sleigh "forgetting something" by Nick Flynn Poem-a-Day   Launched during National Poetry Month in 2006, Poem-a-Day features new and previously unpublished poems by contemporary poets on weekdays and classic poems on weekends. Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit Poets.org.   You are receiving this e-mail because you elected to subscribe to our mailing list. If you would like to unsubscribe, please click here.   © Academy of American Poets 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038