Medea’s Chariot

30 Dec

After Policoro Painter (attributed), Red-Figure Calyx-Krater, c. 400 BC. Ceramic. Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio.

She’s just left Corinth, in a witchy awestruck spectacle— her most dreadful deeds behind her
Absconding on a conjured chariot pulled by winged serpent-dragons covered in leopard print scales— lent by some distant relative of means
Her rings of shimmering sunbursts explode, blinding your magnolia vision— drawing focus from cavernous mouthfuls of dribble
Dressed in Persian armour with her helmet worn high and a double baldric crossing her dark heart— she’s a foreign enemy, exiled abroad by choice
Her escape accomplished through the mystical arts, floating away on promises of protection— followed by the furies and ghosts she self-fashioned
When she’s had enough, she’ll perform sorcery on you with the guiltless and marvellous talent to vanish

Red-Figure Calyx-Krater (Mixing Vessel): Medea in Chariot (A); Telephos with Baby Orestes (B), c. 400 BCE. Near the Policoro Painter (South Italian, Lucanian, active c. 400 BCE). Ceramic; diameter of mouth: 49.9 cm (19 5/8 in.); overall: 50.5 cm (19 7/8 in.); diameter of foot: 22 cm (8 11/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 1991.1

Published in Ghost Bones, 2022.

This poem is specifically formatted for mobile devices. However, for the best possible reading experience, I recommend reading it on a desktop computer.

— Dr Aimee Blackledge

Aimee Blackledge is an American author and editor who lives in the UK. She has a Master's of Studies (M.St) and a Doctor of Philosophy (D.Phil) in the History of Art from the University of Oxford. She is an Associate Member of the Society of Authors and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading.

For the past 10 years, Aimee has worked extensively across academia as a research associate, lecturer, curator, tutor, and post-doctoral researcher. As a Researcher Developer at the University of Liverpool, she facilitated academic writing retreats and coached researchers in achieving their most ambitious writing goals.

Aimee writes historical fiction about art. Her writing focuses on amplifying the work and perspectives of women. Her latest collection of poems, Ghost Bones, was published under the mentorship of T. S. Eliot Prize winner, Joelle Taylor.

http://www.aimeeblackledge.com

Medea’s Chariot

This poem is specifically formatted for mobile devices. However, for the best possible reading experience, I recommend reading it on a desktop computer.

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