The Act, Not the Body

Ekphrasis

20 Sept

After Gillian Ayres, Antony and Cleopatra, 1982. Tate Collection.

Leaping from silent white gallery walls Into clanking magenta and pyrrole orange A lion’s mane counters in diarylide yellow Plunged into subterranean streams of turquoise and viridian
Darting fusions of ghost trail pull Joyful jolts drape over stubby stabs Bold steadfast summits swell Polar humps and triangular crags pulsate
Warmth clutches you firmly by the shoulders Each colour has its own lane, and holds its own well But who’s who here? Of those ill-fated lovers Or is this their essence mapped?
With her punchy painterly deed Fill yourself up.

Gillian Ayres CBE RA, Antony and Cleopatra (1982), Tate. © Estate of Gillian Ayres RA CBE. Image from the 2019 Tate Exhibition. ©A.Aldred.

Published in Facing the Fire, 2023.

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

—Aimee Blackledge

Aimee Blackledge is an American author 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.

For the past 10 years, Aimee has worked extensively across academia as a research associate, lecturer, curator, tutor, and post-doctoral researcher.

Aimee writes historical fiction and poetry. Her latest collection of ekphrastic poems, Ghost Bones, was published under the mentorship of T. S. Eliot Prize winner, Joelle Taylor.

http://www.aimeeblackledge.com

The Act, Not the Body

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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