look down
hide your pride, eyes
so beautiful and full
of wisdom, fire will sear the on-
looker

Gerard Sekoto, Woman With Downcast Eyes (1955)

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Melissa Lemay, our host, challenges us: For today’s Poetics prompt, I’d like you to choose one of the paintings featured in this post and base your poem on it. Write whatever comes to mind as you explore the colors and images of the painting. Please let us know in your post which painting you’ve chosen, and credit the artist and link back to this post.

Exploring the art of Gerard Sekoto