T H {0} R N poem by Marshall Weber

                                                 T  H {0} R  N



                                Take this thorn from my heart
                                that I might bleed
                                and forever fall asleep


                               Unstop that petit barbed dam
                               it keeps me awake
                               awash in sad dreams


                               Who could imagine a flower
                               harbored such an assassin
                               not to kill but to keep in torment


                              Open that unseen wound
                              and release those memories
                              which beat against every part of me


                              Let it flow away, let it flow away
                              fade my tide of consciousness
                              for the thorn's rose wilted long ago

                           
                             Soon I shall sink into the garden
                             to rest in a history of soft blossoms
                             the thorn will outlive us all



                                                               

                                                            (Poem By Marshall Weber)

T H {0} R N

A unique book by Eliana Pérez / Poem by Marshall Weber. 2013
In the collection of the Library of Congress in Washington DC.

Thorn is inspired by Japanese byōbu screens in structure, composition and material.   The heart-breaking poem’s intimate pain is translated into silver-leafed features and metallic lettering that is either revealed or obscured, depending on the readers’ viewing angle relative to ambient light sources.  

The last phrase is hidden within a sculptural feature on the final panel, written backwards and reflected in a mirror.  A paper tendril spirals open to unveil a virtual wound: deep and in evidence, but beyond our physical reach.  It can be seen but not healed, sentencing the heart-broken author in perpetuity. 

Unique accordion book, four 11.5 x11.5 inch wood and leather panels, gouache, ink and silver leaf on paper.

Art and Design by Eliana Pérez.
Poem by Marshall Weber.