Cezanne's Ports

In the foreground we see time and life

swept in a race

toward the left hand side of the picture

where shore meets shore.

But that meeting place

isn't represented;

it doesn't occur on the canvas.

For the other side of the bay

is Heaven and Eternity,

with a bleak white haze over its mountains.

And the immense water of L'Estaque is a go-between

for minute rowboats.

Paul Cezanne, L'Estaque (1883-85)Oil on canvas. The Museum of Modern Art, New York City.