The sculptor stares
At his lovely Archimedes.
Seated, back bowed
Knees bent
Arms bridging
The divide between
Shoulder and ankle.
His head, a receptacle
For brilliance.
A mathematician
A physicist
An engineer.
The sculptor had
Minimalized the features
Classicized the profile
Intellectualized the visage.
A figure shown
In full relaxation
In meditation
Prior to contemplation
Of the deepest mysteries
Of human understanding.
The sculptor’s eyes
Shift to the wings.
A command
From the Arts Committee
Specified three
Each symbolizing
One of Archimedes’
Fields of accomplishment.
Aesthetically loathsome
They defy functionality
And bring forth
The realization
That the mind
Of his lovely Archimedes
Is no longer able to fly.
(Inspired by Lora Mitchell’s photo, madison-woods.com, September 21, 2012.
This is a fictional story suggested by a photograph: the title, location and subject matter of the sculpture are unknown to me and the Archimedes assignation and any descriptive material refer solely to the imaginary sculpture in my story.)
vb's reverbs 
So the Arts Committee demanded three wings? (I knew there had to be some good explanation for that bit of weirdness!) What will they design next – a camel?
I like this – nice flowing free verse, with an unexpected twist at the end.
It sound like very good images defined and described well by one who knows art. It is hard to know what ideas lurk inside the heads of some artists when they create, and why their objects take on such a peculiar form.
A wonderful poem. I always love reading poetry that responds to the FF prompts. Very evocative; the imagery is so lovely, the photo becomes unnecessary. Well done!
Love the imagery here…very vivid and brings the picture quickly to mind. Thanks so much for stopping by mine earlier
I like what you have done with the prompt, especially the tension at the end…the sculptor vs the Arts Committee. How true.
I guess you’ve summed up the dilemma of the artist needing money to live on! A very poignant poem.
A well done poem and a perceptive look into the artist’s thoughts.
Lovely and so many layers to explore. Wonderful.
Here’s mine: http://unexpectedpaths.com/friday-fictioneers/homo-avis/
Creativity curtailed by others can lead to a strange result . . . you’ve captured that very well. 🙂
I love the rhythm of:
“Minimalized the features
Classicized the profile
Intellectualized the visage.
A figure shown
In full relaxation
In meditation
Prior to contemplation”
although i consider myself “smart,” i now have to look up more about Archimedes in order to fully appreciate how good this is.
Like Joanna, I enjoyed the rhythm of this piece. It flows well and the end was very fitting.
very cool… just had a look at the pic of the sculpture and i really like how you captured it
nice…you did very well with the prompt….def you have a nice flow in this as well….thanks for popping in today too…smiles.
Well done ….from the artist’s POV. Akkkk…to that Arts Committee. Clever take on the prompt.
Deliciously melancholy.