The Beginning of the World

(after Brancusi)

Man Ray advised but only
he would photograph his own sculptures:
sunshine on the golden bird almost made it explode,
scratches and stains, there you are.
In space, the marble egg, light and
shade set at odds and there’s a ball of sun of course
behind and we can’t tell, why should we, shadow from reflection
plane where shapes free themselves
though it’s not the egg that engenders the shadow
but the shadow, black bodiless
stain, that emerges into existence in the shape
of an egg sending Man Ray back to his own shadow –
doubles, eggbeater rather than egg.