drifted into the british museum after my seminar and hadn’t realised the parthenon friezes rooms were finally open again, so came to see my old friends before settling down in the cafe to do some reading. I feel as strongly as anyone that these should be back in athens, where they belong and where their intricacy and their magnitude would be so much more important and so much better respected. I find this museum very uncomfortable and in many ways I would like it to become obsolete. that being said, I’m still a classicist at heart, and I feel an immense sense of comfort in the presence of the ancient world, so while it is still here - and while it’s round the corner - I won’t deny myself that
When we un-packed it, the Paris curator was embarrassed to discover lipstick marks on its cheek: someone in the Louvre had played at being Pygmalion—or Hadrian—and kissed it.
And who could blame them? Up on a pedestal, center stage, the effect of its beauty was jaw-dropping.
“the vault” andres Cerpa // “dirty valentine” richard siken // “the glass essay” anne carson // “class of 2013” mitski // “trampoline” you won’t // “elephant gun” beirut // “ten years old” you won’t // “skeptic goodbye” you won’t // “the love song of j. alfred prufrock” t.s. eliot // “by and by” caamp // “the glass essay” anne carson // “another last letter to you” nate pritts // “saying your names” richard siken
