“Pentimenti of an earlier position of the arm may be seen.”
Frick Museum
It’s not simply
that the top image
wears off or
goes translucent;
things underneath
come back up,
having enjoyed the
advantages of rest.
That’s the hardest
part to bear, how
the decided-against
fattens one layer down,
free of the tests
applied to final choices.
In this painting,
for instance, see how
a third arm—
long ago repented
by the artist—
working a flap
into the surface
through which
who knows what
exiled cat or
extra child
might steal.