My friend and
collaborator Alison Wilson has asked me to write a poem to accompany an etching
she is working on which is to go in a book that will be auctioned for charity.
The book is making its way around the world from artist to artist, and each
artwork is accompanied by a poem. At the moment it is in Singapore.
Alison is inspired
by something she saw on a beach in Western Australia, hundreds of bluebottle
jellyfish washed up on the shore. The depth of colour of the jellyfish was
exquisite, cerulean blue.
This is my first
attempt:
This squadron steered by
a strange star,
ensnared in the shallows.
Wrong elemented,
these perfect structures
stranded.
Life leaves.
Perhaps a little
too enigmatic…
Blue blotches on white
sand,
if this were a painting
blame poor technique.
upon close inspection:
this beached shoal
expires.
Leaves you wordless to
describe their exact hue.
I liked the comparison
to a painting, life is always messier. This is the third idea:
Effective predators on
their own turf,
this borderland has them
stumped,
literally high and dry.
The price you pay
for getting out of your
depth.
you count them along the
shore.
One hundred bluebottles
hung out to die,
strung out on the sea
strand.
They dream of deep water
and the joy of feasting
on others.
The brief I have
been given though calls for something shorter, succinct, haiku-like. There is a
reason for this. Alison will have to scratch each letter backwards on to the
etching plate such practicalities dictate length.
Watch this space.
I am also going to
post some of the pages of our Mexican project. I hope to have these up by the
middle of next week.
Here is a video of
Serafina Steer: The Night Before the
Mutiny.
No comments:
Post a Comment