for “the lucky buyer” who “went home with a certificate of authenticity” for an “immaterial sculpture” by Salvatore Garau
What could be more valuable
than nothing? The nothing that
frames “The Thinker,” the nothing
that holds every bowl,
every vase, every bust, every thought.
Let others buy the clay, the steel,
the papier-mâché. I will be satisfied
with nothing more than nothing.
Nothing pleases me. Nothing
enchants me. Nothing,
as Heisenberg says,
has a weight. Just think
of the space here beside me
where you are not.
If someone asks me why
I have a five-by-five-foot
empty space taped off in my home
with a plaque that says I Am,
it is because I am so in love
with nothing. Imagine it—
nothing, the color of happiness,
nothing, the size of love,
nothing, the shape of god.
This poem was published in Rattle’s Poet’s Respond on June 13, 2021
Wow
I am so in love with nothing–though it does irk me a little to put a price on it. Still, a celebration of nothing!!!
‘Tis true: There is nothing that will make you happy.
‘Tis also true: Every and each one of us is an artist—our artistry is in producing nothing.
Rather than a price-tag, or a bidding war, why didn’t anyone acknowledge such a piece of craft is, actually, priceless?
priceless!!!
Sigh. The whole poem – but especially those last three lines. Still savoring them.
Ah, Heidi, thank you. I am so in love with all the potential in nothing!!!