Il Tagliapanni (c. 1570)
giovanni battista moroni
On a black cloth, a line of chalk
Marks the course my scissors must follow.
You follow its path, dabbing
At your palette, tending to my likeness...
Moroni’s Tailor
Phillis Levin
Phillis Levin is the author of five poetry collections, including Mr. Memory & Other Poems, Temples and Fields, and The Afterimage. She teaches at Hofstra University.