Stung

-Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Strange subject to cast in bronze
a toddler’s head in electric agony
fat bee still embedded in his cheek
mouth wide, his lips curled back
a forever scream spreading silently
across the busy Baroque gallery.
How the sculptor saw this jangling
moment would be universal, the buzz
of a broadening world instantly cruel
and dangerous. How a betrayed face
burns up, never to be consoled.