The Sauce is All Wrong

Ekphrasis
Written By —Aimee Blackledge

After, Maria Victoria Rodriguez, Chacra.

Casting golden glows and long shadows
A blistering sun nearing its decent for the day

Emerging from terracotta roofs,
Ready to reclaim the day with music and eating

My bones are still warm all the way through
I hear the strumming of a guitar and a squeezebox

We slowly gather to celebrate
But we feel a sense of loss and a raw emptiness

While the pasta is already made,
We trudge onwards from obligation and tradition

Wine is automatically opened,
No one says anything to mark the first time — without

I see someone has placed their photo
Pride of the place where they once would have sat — amongst us

But the music carries on — without
The sauce is all wrong — the trio now a mere duo

Without — we have lost what we once had
Like tripping up or a hiccup, it was a surprise

They wanted to leave and start again
We celebrate their bravery but miss them very much

And here we continue as always
Subdued music and sauce with too much smoked paprika

(https://www.instagram.com/mvictoria.rodriguez/p/CNlTsamJIAQ/chacra/)

Aimee Blackledge ©2021.

Published in Visual Verse, Vol. 08, Chapter no. 09. July 2021.

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
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