Ekphrasis (Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum)


Fiery, bunned hair burns into any soul that looks at it
Beady eyes taken from a rodent
Bloody open mouths are ready to roar
During the roar, blood comes pouring out of the mouth and covers the cheeks
Gigantic monkey ears are proportional to the face attached 
The recurring pattern in the faces is nauseating
Shift to the left, there’s one
Shift again to the left, there’s another 
(yet) it is special from the others
A shimmering, golden earring immediately catches the eye
Divided into sections, creating an intricate design  
A square center surrounded by bean shaped ornaments
As the eye shifts downward, there is a constrained body to the faces
The body’s arms are tied amongst each other, incapable of any movement
The animal man screams and roars to be let loose
It is no use
It is time
The snakes from the underground cross over to the light of the overworld
They move slowly toward the animal man, taunting him
with the incessant hissing and flicking of their slimy tongues
As they approach ground, a supernatural force protects the animal man
Strong waves of air floods the plain to create a barrier between him and the snakes 
which cannot penetrate the barrier
the snakes are caught up in the waves,
thrashed around and blended in
There is hope for the animal man after all
Who is left to screech in his constraints,
for all to hear

Tang Museum, (3/15/19), Artist Unknown (Tibet), Ritual Dagger, circa 14th century

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