A show of orchids, part 3

Published about 2 years ago • 1 min read

A show of orchids​
A diversion in four parts

Part 3: What else?

What else will a smiling bud do
but bloom in laughter?

What else will a flagpole do
but grip its wind-whipped flag?

If a ripe pomegranate on a branch
doesn’t open its ruby mouth to the birds,
what else will it do?

Moonlight seduces you.
Sunlight feeds you.
What more would you want them to do?

When a shadow sees the sun’s face, it bows.
When lovers catch a whiff of your fragrant shirt,
they tear off their own.

And the dead?
What else can they do but lie stone still?

Love, you strung my heart with gold.
What else can I do but sing?

—Rumi, Gold (translated by Haleh Liza Gafori)

The diversion concludes next week.

Until next time, flame on! 🔥

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Edward Ficklin (he/him), the maverick artist not afraid to say gay, is dedicated to creating erotic art as a pathway to liberation for all. His surrealist work centers the nude figure exploring its own delights, ranging from the sensual to the ecstatic. In defiance of the societal forces attempting erasure by legislation, algorithm, or so-called “community” standards, he delights viewers with imagery of sex and body positivity. His paintings have appeared in NYC galleries like Foley Gallery and the SoHo Project Space, national exhibitions dedicated to erotic art such as CLAW Leather Getaway Kinky Art Show and Tucson Erotica, and numerous naughty, but high quality, publications like Erotic Edges, Doable Guys, and Dirty Little Drawings. He likes his martinis straight up, with a twist, and, of course, made with gin. He adores the grit, freedom, and wild unpredictability of urban existence and continues, likely to the grave, attempts to get that orchid plant to bloom again.