Scarlet Woman

Portraits & Figure By Nancy E. Polo

Print based on watercolor and sketch montage by Nancy Polo. Created to illustrate the following eponymous poem: (she's married) Precious as the hoover dam-- until it breaks. Suddenly indentured. (such a shame, it must be hard, by herself) A Scarlet Woman: "I feel so sorry for you," the ladies say. In between names, she carries her papers everywhere, so they know her son and where her money goes. Trust (who? her?) She never thought of that. How many chickens would it take? Roasted, Boiled, Plucked, and Bagged so tight. The bruises from borrowed bones to plump her breasts. For who? (me? no... of course not) A family like his-- someone taller, more elegant, less married. 'What happened to that girl he brought home? We liked her." (even grandpa met her, but some things don't work out) Someone mows her lawn, helps with the laundry, makes her dinner? some nights... (right?) She'll have a car and they'll pay the electric until he's 18. She'll be fine. (I am building a throne, shell by shell, for the perfect one) Like the gypsies who'll call your baby ugly for good luck, you can't say her name.