Trappings
The self-conscious array of paintings
posed along the gallery walls
escorted by artist statements dressed up
the meticulous clarity of it and
none of it fooling anyone
despite the best efforts
of the fresh-painted elegant
white gallery walls
who
like the store mannikin
cool and unadorned
the eye prefers
to the graceless clothes it models
4/28/19
Claudia McGill Writes Poetry, Did You Know That? 
I love the connections your brain makes. I don’t think I ever could have conjured up the metaphor of the mannikin for the gallery walls but it is absolutely the perfect metaphor to communicate the idea.
I am not sure where that idea came from but in my mind I was seeing smooth white glisteny naked mannequins as you would see them in the store as they were changing clothes, and that picture in my mind has stuck with me.