Steve Locke at MASS MoCA

A Poetic Response

A Poem: Reflections on Steve Locke’s Cruisers

Yesterday, returning home

I thought of your paintings,

Each as a poem.

No furniture, curtains, nor open door.

None of the symbols of yearning and love.

No obvious symbols but considerably more.

Just color-filled spaces

Surrounding and separating

Sketches of faces.

Anticipation and expectation.

Fear of vulnerability.

Fear of incompatibility.

So many emotions – buried and erupting,

Connecting – not connecting,

Rejecting – not rejecting.

A few deft brush strokes,

Embracing risk.

Being human.

Cruising.

Patricia Hills, October 28, 2022

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