Alexander & Duggan – February 2022
Teresa Duggan and Rahne Alexander traded art and words. Teresa shared this image, titled “City Sunset” with Rahne:
In response, Rahne wrote this poem:
Twilight For Us All
Lacan said that the best image to sum up the unconscious is Baltimore
in the early morning which is hilarious and I see that but I raise him
a thickly overcast June night in Reykjavik. But let’s just say that he’s right
and if so perhaps it stands to reason, a case could be made
that the best image to sum up the conscious might be Baltimore
in broad daylight but you and me both know there’s no way that’s true.
So instead maybe it’s twilight, dusk before fireworks. In this sunset light
everything looks its best, this golden effulgence that showcases
even my dismal little window. Beauty is important, we forget,
time moves along faster than definitions. Is seeing things for their beauty
more important than seeing them beneath the operating theater lights.
I sure wish I had allowed myself to fully embrace my own beauty earlier.
And so now that it is twilight for us all, what are you waiting for.
* * * * *
Rahne shared this poem with Teresa:
what i want
is someone who prefers the hour just after dusk, wears a hat of someone else’s choosing and walks
down the shady side of the street. a real boarding-school afternooner; gives too much change for a dollar
keeps her hands in her pockets – a gal with her own library card who stands up on a night train and
is fond of the twilight hours
financially secure, wears a light wristwatch and carries her own purse. she kisses backwards and pays her own way. an evening girl, a real shadows girl
a fluent swimmer, a gentleman of the piers, a keen-eyed birdwatcher with specific mannerisms;
eats dinner in a restaurant
peculiar, resourceful, uncanny, well-read
private, reluctant, loyal, devoted
an aesthete born with the caul
a perplexment, a real jackdaw
glasses, pocketbook, a silk bathrobe
inquisitive in the way of uncles; throws a party with an open guest list
artistic, alert, always rings twice,
an incurable, improbable irregular
a steady-handed sight-lipped sister of the moon
an extraordinary elegant eccentric
a civic-minded classically athletic companion
an upside-down chimney-sweep, built on an uncertain foundation
and not quite up-to-code
unlikely outdoorsy, remarkable, limber
hitchhikes instead of taking the bus
a skillful mountain climber
a sunset lover
an evening botanist
marvelous, mysterious, rides the carousel
singular, standoffish, sturdy smooth elbows
stays ahead of the game, fond of her health
gives a careful handshake and salutes another flag
In response, Teresa made this image, titled “ISO EEE: A Shadows Girl”:
