My Wife as Art

For Madalasa

An oil painting of the ocean, the crest
of waves on dense strokes your fingers 
touch and are struck by their fierceness.

A watercolor landscape, brushed
softly, like you listen to a friend
oblivious to reveal their profound sadness.

An etching carved on hard wood,
your story told by a firm wrist and a sharp knife,
schooled in renouncing its hardness.

JUAN PABLO MOBILI

Juan Pablo Mobili was born in Argentina and adopted by New York. His poems have appeared in the American Journal of Poetry, Hanging Loose, the Paterson Literary Review, and other US publications, as well as many international journals. He has been nominated several times for the Pushcart Prize, and his chapbook Contraband was published in 2022. He has also been a guest editor for The Banyan Review.