Song of Decay
This little skull was collected on the beach and I have been unable to idenitify its original owner. Shortly after I brought it home all of its teeth fell out. Each individual tooth had to be refitted into its socket and as I was contemplating the art of decay, I was reminded that this is how it should be. All of our rot should sink back into the earth so that new things can come of us. A poem came to me about this very thing and has been included on the back of the piece. It measure 4.5 inches wide. The skull was affixed to a fragment of slate whose yellow ochre hues highlight the discoloration of the bone. Bits of grass have been placed in a circular form around it, representing, in a sense, the wheel of life. The whole thing was then placed on a wooden disc which was stained with red mahogany. The back of the panel has been varnished, titled, signed and dated by the artist and includes the poem "Song of Decay". How long the years, how dreary,
when all that's left is rot. But no! We'll fill our husks with formula
and bloat with the false hope
of our body's immortality. I would rather mulch
and have my bones
decay away. Private Collection
