criticizing its stasis and immutability (in contrast to the aliveness and revisibility of words)
testifying to the poet's (problematic!) breathlessness before the artwork
testifying to the limits of language (as well as the shortcomings of art)
verbally recreating the visual artifact
halting narrative process
focusing on the acts of creation--or the site of the studio or museum
creating an imagined visual artifact, and writing a poem on that
making art permanent
particular female conventions
critiquing courtly love/desire/pity (using the convention of the pieta)
playing games with "mastery" (of art, of the female body)
sympathizing w/ the position of the object
competing (and resenting her need to compete, as a living, breathing, speaking model)
w/ the mute, perfect, still figure that is the work of art
(the artist's creation, a kind of self-love)
