special feature (part two) albert huffstickler

I'm pleased to be featuring a painting by Albert Huffstickler, and Felicia Mitchell's poem 'Victim'.

 'Victim' was written in response to writing by Albert Huffstickler (Huff).

Huff, in turn, created this oil pastel picture in response to Felicia's painting.

Felicia says, 'Huff had so much creative energy.  And he inspired so many other writers and artists'.

More of Huff's paintings and poems can be seen on the archived website http://www.reocities.com/albert_huffstickler/

Oil pastel by Albert Huffstickler. Permission granted by Felicia Mitchell.

Victim

      For Albert Huffstickler

There is no furniture in her room,
save the shelf where her hymen lies
like a geological specimen.

The museum is her mother's.
Flaunting her proprietary rights,
the mother ignores her own signs
that say "do not touch."
Jealousy, pride, awe, confusion:
this is what the mother feels.

The girl feels her insides turned inside out.
Her face is inside her belly,
her belly where her lips should be.
Her eyes must substitute for her heart.

The fluorescent lights never shut off.

The mother is turned inside out as well.
Instead of being content to push this girl
right out of her fertile womb,
as far away as she can go,
she wants to climb inside her daughter
and stay there.
She wants to get there first.

There is no father.

Felicia Mitchell

Credit:

The Medulla Review 1.2 (2010). Online

http://www.themedullareview.com/Felicia_Mitchell.html

Also included in The Medulla Review Anthology I (201o). Print