Lee Krasner, Artist, A Story poem

 

rules were never meant for me
I broke all of them
if that upset the people around me
and it did
I didn’t care
my life belonged to me
I was an artist
I was political
I was ALIVE
I was not cut out
to follow in the footsteps
of those who came before me
I studied
I worked
I struggled
I lived on almost nothing
I BECAME
I FOUGHT
for the right
to be a
FEMALE
ARTIST
against men
who held the keys to the
art castles
I did
EVERYTHING
I WAS TOUGH
and I could best
ANYONE
I slept around
we all did
I smoked
I drank
I clawed
and scratched
my way up
and why not
then I met
JACKSON
POLLOCK
I thought
he was brilliant
we moved in together
he had more problems
than most
but I saw what he could do
so I stuck by him
for his art
and because I loved him
I turned my attention
toward making HIM
a success
yes
I was an amazing artist
but I thought he was
incredible
so I did
EVERTHING
for him
if not for me
you wouldn’t know his name
ask anyone
they’ll tell you
I got him shown
got him agents
galleries
connections
he lacked the ability
to do anything
for himself
and he drank
and cheated
and then he drank some more
he was violent
out of control
mean
and
drunk
until the
in the car accident
that took his life
and the life of his lover’s
girlfriend
after that
I continued to care for his work
making sure it was in the right
institutions
and
museums
and yes
I was finally
DISCOVERED
and I fought for that as well
I have had one woman shows
all over the world
I’m hanging in the best
institutions
and museums
but for many years
I was known as
Pollock’s wife
who was also a painter
no name
no recognition
just one more woman artist
lost in a world
made of men
who RFUSE
TO SEE US
for what we are
AS GOOD
OR BETTER
THAN THEY ARE
but I made it
I’m there
I fought to the bitter end
no one could stop me
and no one ever did
I was LEE KRASNER
I never backed down from anything

 

 

Lee’s signature:  guildhall.org
Lee with painting:  artandobject.com
Quote:  wisefamousquotes.com