another internet research rabbit-hole for you! this one was sparked by the professor of my creative writing class, who read us the following poem:
Elvis Moving a Small Cloud: The Desert Near Las Vegas, 1976
David Wojahn
after the painting by Susan Baker
“Stop this motherfucking limo,” says the King,
And the Caddie, halting, raises fins of dust
Into a landscape made of creosote,
Lizards, dismembered tires. The King’s been reading again -
Mind Over Matter: Yogic Texts
On Spiritual Renewal by Doctor Krishna
Majunukta, A Guide on How to Tap the
Boundless Mental Powers of the Ancients.
Bodyguards and hangers-on pile out.
His highness, shades off, scans the east horizon.
“Boys, today I’m gonna show you somethin’
You can tell your grandchildren about.”
He aims a finger at Nevada’s only cloud.
“Lo! Behold! Now watch that fucker move!”
it's a nice poem, and it's got a quality image to it with a bit of humor. the professor said that despite looking it up he was unable to find a picture of the painting. he joked that if anyone managed to find it, they would get an A and not have to come to class for the rest of the semester. now i want to go to class, it's likely my favorite i'm taking at the moment, but i also couldn't resist the challenge.
i began in the straightforward way, trying to find copies of the poem. it barely exists online, but i found it in a couple places, one of them being some random person's blog from 2013 with a dead image. using wayback machine i discovered the image is sadly just a photo of elvis. of course it couldn't be that easy. the comments section illustrates how those who trod this path before me have failed:
astute readers will note that that comment was posted earlier this year, doubtless by another student of the same professor. my journey continues, and having failed to find my quarry through the poet, the poem, or elvis, i resort to the remaining piece of information left to me: susan baker.
annoyingly, susan baker is a very common name. i search susan baker in any combination of the poet, elvis, vegas, nevada, anything that might get me closer. i come up empty handed. i am beginning to think this is the end of the path, but then i realize i can do something unthinkable: contact the poet.
so i find his website, look at his contact info, and send an email. i expect to wait a while, or maybe not even hear anything, but he writes back the next day. below is his email.
his point about writing from an image is probably good advice, and something i find applicable to me, but it's not what i'm looking for. however, he has given me a crucial piece of information: a place and time to find susan baker.
i search up "susan baker provincetown" and am immediately rewarded. my results include an interview with her, listings of her paintings for sale, a book for an exhibition about her early work, and the website of the center mentioned in the email. i comb through these results, but none of them seem to be the painting i'm looking for. i like her art though, and it's fun to see her evolution as an artist.
luckily, included in these results is the susan baker memorial museum. this tells me that she's dead, but it also gives me a very clear next place to contact. i email them.
it's been a few months now and i haven't heard back. i imagine i won't. if by some miracle i do, you'll be the first to know.
