3 Poems by Fred Bassett

Maria Martin on John James Audubon in honor of Maria Martin, 1796-1863 by Fred Bassett If you know the gentleman well, you know he beguiled a few days here in Charleston with the Reverend BachmanC this commodious house already chocked to the cracks with children, wife, and me. Oh, that Mr. Audubon had the run of the place. And joyful fire to set a woman'ss heart ablaze, not that you would ever imagine such from the visage I see in the mirror. Most days, the two men were afield, searching for some good feathers to skin and re-stuff for the painter's eye. I lived my days in the background, so I was happy to paint that for him. Beyond Charleston, I doubt anyone has ever heard my name. Even here, few know my hands painted the franklinia in his rendering of Bachman's warbler. You wouldn't know this either, but I painted the rare pair, first and just for him, after he had gone back North without ever laying eyes on them. In truth, I am the background, waiting for him to perch the prize in my branches, male above the female, just as I knew he would. This poem was inspired by the author's thoughts on John James Audubon's stay with the Rev. Bachman of Charleston, South Carolina, where the naturalist met the Rev.'s sister-in-law, Maria Martin, in the 1830s. A watercolor