Francis Boushay 4 February 2021

                  (Francis Boushay 1983)

Stared straight ahead in

Optometric pose,

Asked to, 'Pick 

A wall spot,'

     -Headshot examined,

     -Inspiration pulled

     -From the eyes

     -Toward viewer;

'My preferred name is 

Francis, "i, s," at

The end, not 

"Frank," "Frances,"'

     -Fancied having his 

     -Portrait painted by

     -Me, asked for

     -A 'good one;'

'I am "the love of

His life," he told me, 

Over the

Telephone,'

     -Conflicts telegraphed,

     -Stripes regulated

     -The strands of

     -Tangled hair;

'Do you believe in

Love at first sight?' mint

Unwrapped from

Cellophane,

     -Candy freshened breath

     -Pushed across room, his

     -Fingers scratched

     -At collar;

Dollars flattened out

In pocket, 'Has this-

Love- happened

To you, too?'

     -He'd have known the whole

     -Story from the guys

     -Who'd referred

     -Him to me;

'It's a long distance

Relationship right

Now, his work's

On West Coast,'

     -As was mine once, him-

     -California- me-

     -New York- now

     -We're both here;

'Going to sort the

Details over time

To find what

Works out best,'

     -Back and forth, with two

     -Apartments, boys on

     -The side, needs

     -Understood;

'Lots of men hanging

On the walls. Are they

Personal

Friends of yours?'

     -He smirked, as his eyes

     -Pivoted from walls

     -Back to me,

     -His heels bounced;

'I'm curious how 

This works, brushing wet

Paint against

A canvas,'

     -Eyes riveted on

     -Alex's, and Ken's,

     -Larger than

     -Life faces;

'Always comes down to

Size, doesn't it, and

I went with

A small one,'

     -What size allowed, less

     -Enlargement, than an

     -Entering 

     -Into whole;

'You do this every

Day, painting, drawing,

Looking at

Boys' faces?'

     -What look like one-offs

     -Built over tries to

     -Get it right,

     -Find likeness;

'It seems like you have

Regulars stopping

By, and some

Coming once,'

     -Beats staring into

     -A mirror doing

     -Self-portraits

     -Of myself;

'Can I take a glance

At it while you are

Still painting,

On a break?'

     -Strokes continued, it's

     -Done, overplaying 

     -Risks losing

     -All of it;

'It looks like me, but

Too serious? Stiff?

Although there's

Something else,'

     -Representation,

     -Which takes from within,

     -Bringing it

     -To surface;

'You have to keep your

Eyes on it to catch

What I think

I can see,

     -Light tones focused eyes,

     -Suggested features

     -Contradict

     -With motion.

4 February 2021