Mother of Dada, by Linda Scheller
Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven (1874-1927)
barbed wire corset
carburetor vase
a woman of influence
strides Greenwich Village
half-naked
with a coal scuttle on her head
frightened men and scandalized women
gape and sneer and laugh
Ah, but Marcel, isn’t it true?
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
embrace ugliness
flaunt desire
any and all cast-off objects
may become art
scramble language
flip roles
any and all cast-off artists
may become new
and in our wildest minds
we are
~
Linda Scheller is the author of two books of poetry, Wind and Children (Main Street Rag 2022) and Fierce Light (FutureCycle Press 2017). Her poetry and book reviews are widely published, and recent honors include Best of the Net and Pushcart Prize nominations. Her website is lindascheller.com