Poetry Magazine
At Chartres
Who wielded the chisel
at the left portal,
south porch, the scene
of Theo chained,
naked to the waist, leaning in
to the brutal hand
of what looks to be
an even younger boy?
What man carved stone
to mimic flesh
as it would look inside
the torture of its flensing?
How he must have held
the scene in his own
mind, thought it back
to the act itself,
modeling the lines
with his own limbs
so he would know
both how a body
bends in pain, and how
a hand extends the flayer’s rake.
Source: Poetry (March 2009).
Biography
Katy Didden is pursuing her PhD in literature and creative writing at the University of Missouri.
Poem Categorization
SUBJECT Religion, Christianity, Arts & Sciences, Painting & Sculpture
Poetic Terms Free Verse, Ekphrasis
If you disagree with this poem's categorization, make a suggestion.
The Poetry Magazine Podcast: You're Always Moving Toward Silence
Your results will be limited to content that appeared in Poetry magazine.
