Flower Explorations 3 by Valentina Luna
Robert Carr | Two poems
Great Grandma's Golden Frame
Late at night, she carries
a green flashlight,
grips my sticky hand,
leads me through
the bulkhead
to a webby corner.
Don’t be a fool! Bea
chides when I insist
spiders in her cellar
are black widows.
A fancy frame
hangs from a nail.
(It’s Bea that taught us
proper--Beef is hung,
man is hanged.)
At our feet, fallen
chunks of plaster.
On the wall—
a forgotten canvas
in a gilded frame,
slashed by some man
who knew
she loved it.
She whispers: Long ago,
that held my mother’s portrait.
Isn’t it pretty?
Talking Sex
In Bea’s lemon yellow
kitchen, backyard
light bristles through
windows. I ask her,
What’s a fuck?
She holds a Fire King
bowl the color
of mint ice cream.
Something wonderful
we don’t talk about.
Bea adjusts her dress,
cracks five eggs
in the bowl,
stares out a window,
blue hydrangea,
scrambles with a whisk.
Who’s out there?
I wonder.
Not often she
won’t answer me.
kitchen, backyard
light bristles through
windows. I ask her,
What’s a fuck?
She holds a Fire King
bowl the color
of mint ice cream.
Something wonderful
we don’t talk about.
Bea adjusts her dress,
cracks five eggs
in the bowl,
stares out a window,
blue hydrangea,
scrambles with a whisk.
Who’s out there?
I wonder.
Not often she
won’t answer me.
Robert Carr is the author of Amaranth, published by Indolent Books, and two full-length collections published by 3: A Taos Press – The Unbuttoned Eye and The Heavy of Human Clouds. Recent teaching engagements and residencies include Monson Arts and The Millay House Rockland. Additional information can be found at robertcarr.org
Born in 1995 and raised in Bogotá, Colombia, Valentina Luna moved to Mexico City to study at Universidad Iberoamericana where she obtained a BBA in Business Administration in 2017. In CDMX Valentina studied art intermittently, until moving to New York City in 2023 to continue her studies at The Art Students League of New York, Parsons School of Design, and New York School of the Arts.
Valentina's diverse background has allowed her to gain experience in various disciplines, and enrich her multi-cultural heritage and unique perspective, continuing her journey into the play of light and color, capturing the essence of the world that envelops us, while remaining firmly grounded in the realms of pleasure and aesthetics. Valentinas' work draws profound inspiration from the dynamic culture and lush landscapes of her homeland, Colombia.
Valentina's diverse background has allowed her to gain experience in various disciplines, and enrich her multi-cultural heritage and unique perspective, continuing her journey into the play of light and color, capturing the essence of the world that envelops us, while remaining firmly grounded in the realms of pleasure and aesthetics. Valentinas' work draws profound inspiration from the dynamic culture and lush landscapes of her homeland, Colombia.
