Maybe it’s because we just went through all the hassle of moving, but the opening lines of this poem by Andrea Cohen struck me with the force of a brass fanfare:
If we’d moved her,
she’d still have ’em,
the ad for Acme
Moving says, with a photo
of Venus de Milo.
But who, intact,
would Venus be?
Some standard-issue
ingénue. Give me
a woman who’s lived
a little, who’s wrapped
her arms around the ages
and come up lacking: that’s
the stone that can move me.
“Truth in Advertising” by Andrea Cohen, from Kentucky Derby. © Salmon Poetry, 2011.
And that’s the TRUTH — as these photographic manipulations make very clear:

Venus de Milo, Re-Armed!
Just an ordinary bare-breasted lady —
and then there’s this, more interesting perhaps, but still hardly OUR Venus de Milo:

The Arms of Venus Trio
So be careful what you wish for! Or maybe, Sometimes Less is More —
Judith,
So true and so well said!
Ads that are that thought provoking are … rare!
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Glad you liked the post, Rebekah!
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Fabulous!! Fabulous!! I love it. Both the Andrea Cohen poem and the photographs. Yes, sometimes less is more. Bravo!! Theadora (Forgive me for the delay! I’ve been working “in the field” in New York.)
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Theadora, what a life you lead! Living in Paris, business trips to New York — brilliant!
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