In the tradition of last year’s Valentine’s Day competition, Kara Fowler, a student of writing at Pratt Institute enrolled in artcritical editor David Cohen’s short form art criticism course, offered this Valentine’s inspired by Marisol’s Love, her iconic Pop sculpture from 1962.
We are vessels both. I want what you have and you’re submitting. You’ll give yourself completely to me, but I must be patient, patient. I’ll fill my cheeks with your insides. You are pure sweetness. What are you made of? Mysterious brown liquid: the secret concentrate, caramel color, phosphoric acid, kola nut extract, vanilla… your coca extract and caffeine excite me most. I forgive you for your high fructose corn syrup, for what is love without forgiveness?
I forgive your blatant consumerism, your ties to capitalism. One cannot be blamed for where one comes from. This love is between you and me, and we are really so small even together. Let me hold onto you! You are all I have. You make me new. I’ve been told I have ancient features, I look like a face on an Athenian vase. With you I am relevant, with you I have meaning.
I want to engulf your curves, take all of you in, but slowly, slowly. Let me drink you dry. Once I do, and we wait, what emerges? Between you and I we could produce perfect spawn, little candy cola bottles with faces, their gaping mouths crying out “Drink me! Drink me!”
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