The Artists' and Models' Ball (For Frank Shepherd)

Wonders do not confuse. We call them that
And close the matter there. But common things
Surprise us. They accept the names we give
With calm, and keep them. Easy-breathing then
We brave our next small business. Well, behind
Our backs they alter. How were we to know.

From The Bean Eaters (1960)

Gallery viewing at the South Side Community Art Center, 1967. Photography by Robert Sengstacke, courtesy of The Sengstacke Archive at The University of Chicago Visual Resources Center.