It's Still Life

Wink

An owl winked at
Huang Yongyu’s
sly high jinx,
or was it nature’s
way with owls.
Its wise ways,
a none too subtle
sideways glance.
Animal Crackers
and an inky owl’s
one-eyed glance.
A sentence
3-years hard labour.

Written for Day 23 NaPoWriMo: a poem in the style of Kay Ryan. Image (fair use) “The Owl” by Huang Yongyu. *This drawing is considered part of the “Black Painting Exhibition” at China’s National Art Gallery in Beijing, as an example of being counterrevolutionary. The Gang of Four interpreted the winking owl as the artist’s portrayal of public officials turning a blind eye to wrong doings. For this, Huang Yongyu was harshly reprimanded for three and a half years laboring at a reform camp. *quoting WikiArt.  ©Misky 2022 Shared with #amwriting #glopowrimo #napowrimo on Twitter