"Jackie and John (Jackie fixing John’s hair)" After Elizabeth Peyton by Claire Medol Hyman

Elizabeth Peyton, Jackie and John (Jackie fixing John’s hair), 1999

Encased enframed by waning waves of blue blocks
Forlorn, tears not worn embodied the white princess trite
Patting not a jock's cap on dweeby boy, wet behind the ears.

A pair, Her Fairness rains down splat at that whatchamaallit's hair
Eton style hiding youth's Rock a hard guile, organ loss, his
          Mojo is a toss.
At heel a watch dog's pace in white space, a triangular
          gumshoe tails
a Dicks' opposing pace.

Not a fleshly rhythmed walk, bi-unisoned march. Ready up? Hup,Hup.
Letting gas, no faults imbued, bespoke at mass. B'rup, b'rup.
Native American White Soxed princeling S.O.B. steps in tune to
          pie-hole dishonesty
Clothed up tight they walk our rights under camera bites.
To be or Naught to be wussed out on vicissitudes as mother
          Jack's off, ew! surreptitious frights.

-- Claire Medol Hyman

Note: Written as an exercise at a workshop called "High Art/Low Language: Experiments in Poetic Style," conducted by Eileen G'Sell at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, where Elizabeth Peyton's exhibition "Ghost" is currently on display through April 18.

His Heart Is One Color

Elizabeth Peyton, "Kiss (Tony)," 2000, lithograph.

Impecunious he leans against the wall
Knee to chest, Hand to heart,
A tear on his cheek, trying
Hard not to caterwaul
Thinking of his idols -- Kabuki-faced
Indomitable heroes who never fall

Note: Written as an exercise at a workshop called "High Art/Low Language: Experiments in Poetic Style," conducted by Eileen G'Sell at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, where Elizabeth Peyton's exhibition "Ghost" is currently on display through April 18.

In brief, the exercise was to look at one of Peyton's prints representing someone from "low" culture, in this case a young man wearing a t-shirt with a picture of the rock band Kiss on it, and write a poem in response using words drawn from our own observation of the print as well as randomly chosen "twenty-dollar words." (The randomly chosen words that I used were "impecunious" and "caterwaul.")

A further challenge was to attempt a traditional verse from such as a sonnet. In the short time in which we had to write that didn't work out so well for me. I did manage to rhyme "wall," "caterwaul," and "fall."

A fun exercise and a great workshop.