Still Life with Three Poets (Possibly Four)

Yong Shu Hoong

No violin, glass ball or candlestick.
This is not a basket of fruits. It took
one poet rummaging half-hour through
forgotten piles to ferret out this photo of
three poets (possibly four) in candid pose.
When the photo was circulated to other
poets, every recipient took pleasure in
speculating what great mystery had
transpired in the stillness. Narrowing
down the year and venue, they studied
hand gestures, the shape of the mouths.
Then got creative, meeting the expectation
of one another not expecting anything
less. The photo was blown up for forensic
evidence: what shirt is this guy wearing,
what book clasped in that hand? One poet
wrote a poem about this strange game
in boredom, out of boredom. Another
remarked the poem should be at least
1/3 shorter, maybe ½. The conclusion?
This is not a basket of fruits. Which is
neither the title of the acid-free print
now proudly displayed in an athenaeum
nor even that of the particular poem.