Inspired by painting #59
Distorted Female/H Herschlag

How did the painter know all this?
An accurate portrait
of my naked psyche as I sit in
the leather chair opposite my analyst—
my long dark hair offering
no cover
to my wounded-crimped brain,
my head ever-expanding
from memories exploding
into consciousness,
my jaw-line narrowed
as if by timidity and shame,
defenses stripped,
my thoughts and words stunted,
my hands’ pretense at relaxation
exposed by my knees
locked in place,
my therapist’s own
internal fires dwarfing my legs,
keeping me
stuck in a dichotomy
of liberation and diminution.