An ekphrastic poem, inspired by a painting by Shiraga Kazuo, viewed online at http://natalielomeli.blogspot.com/2013_01_01_archive.html.

The smear on the pavement
reminds you something happened

The stain on the dressing
tells you the wound is still fresh

The flush of her cheeks
says she’d rather you didn’t know

The numbers on the chart
indicate one more round

(21 September 2016)