American Gothic

(This is a poem about a famous painting.
It is called an Ekphrasic Poem)

Side-by-side,
looking so similar,
the man in the black coat
and the woman beside him.
Was the pitchfork to protect
The Gothic Window behind?

Who would have guessed
that by day
he was a dentist
and his sister
merely that.

I've often wondered
what world existed
on the other side
of
that
window.
one immortal portal,
a flyspeck
on the clockface
of time.

Note: After research, i discovered that Grant Wood wanted to paint that window, but could not find anyone to pose, so his dentist volunteered, and his sister stood with him. Everyone thinks they were married but they were not.

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