Migration (part 6 of 8)

animal meat
contains my mind,
sperm gunk clogs nerves,
commerce barters brain
for breath.

I ate my father’s flesh
to metabolize his songs.
I planted a pine tree
in the place he died,
but no son has yet been born.

*

Every Friday for a total of 8 weeks I will post a section of a poem-painting cycle called “Migration.” This work is based on my experiences in New Caledonia, where in 2007 I was invited to an artist residency exploring the connections between Melanesian cultures and aboriginal tribes of southern China. Today’s selection is about contemporary cultural dispersion.

Notes:
1. In some traditional Melanesian cultures, deceased are eaten by their relatives.
2. In New Caledonia, a pine tree is planted where a man dies, a ritual to bring a new son into the world.

Please tune in every Friday to check out this work, and visit my painting website at www.scottezellgallery.com. You can click the links below to see previous postings of “Migration”.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight