The Act, Not the Body

Ekphrasis
Written By — Dr Aimee Blackledge

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.

Aimee Blackledge ©2023

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.

— 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
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