Night, Starry

Ekphrasis Poetry

Jul 13, 2026

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Night, Starry
Meredith Morckel

Flip van Gogh’s Starry Night over
and there’s a face in the sky. 
It’s Muppet-y and only
has one eye. 
The bridge of its nose
is the beginning of a swirl. 
And the longer I look I realize
it’s a scowling girl.
Her eye that fell out
has become the moon. 
Her horizontal hair, blue and yellow, 
is in ruins. 
Her frown dips halfway 
across the painting. 
The stars are like acne scars
or maybe tears, dripping.
What happened to you, 
sky-girl, all air and light? 
Why are you so unhappy
on this starry night? 
Did the black spire in the foreground
give you a fright? 
Or are you angry that this painting
captured you, trapped you in night?

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