by E. Brian Gentry
Dad’s ugly Filipino carving
rocks when you walk too fast
by the piano.
I suppose remembering old voodoo dances.
Scarred from moves and tumbles,
it still demands respect
as the non-speaking member
of our family.
Uncle Dale respected it once
until his fingers noticed the nipple
and his mouth fell
at wooden pornography.
My friends called it quaint
and I asked Mom after they left
but she said it was art
and art can be naked.