Paul Koudounaris’ Momento Mori meets Alice, Venus and that Rabbit
Artwork entered world through Alice’s mud-blood stalactite/stalagmite door
drinking liberally on New Year’s Eve, circa 1956.
Puzzling Cheshire Dogs liberally splashed acrylics onto textured canvas
red/pink/yellow/white rose water, chubby with thorns and black spot.
Turkish hookahs, silent as laudanum among daffodils, increased apple-scents
surprisingly for the Birth of Venus (blushing furiously as Titian locks
wrapped around Botticelli’s paint-smeared fingers. Stubby or delicate,
no-one recognised genius in this work of art.
red, fair, plump, thick wavy golden air to die without.
No Room with a View, ripening like Girl with a Pearl Earring.
Unsold, dusty, dumped in a back room, contemplating price of bread.
Caravaggio’s Supper at Emmaus broke light open as a scallop shell,
revealing fresh youthfulness and hidden shadows:
work, meals, friends, sightseeing Grimm Halloween.
Burne-Jones’ King Cophetua and the Beggar Maid rose like smoke,
or prayer, to kneel at the altar of poetry. Plath’s Bell Jar ripe with gas:
chaise longue in a bedsit, uncool as plastic flowers.
Van Gogh’s Cafeterras bij Nacht gifted first job goodbyes,
donated to father’s Council home, culture in a backboard.
Toulouse-Lautrec’s Woman, in finest gown, hopefully uncertain:
as Alice’s white rabbit, ‘I’m late! I’m late! For a very important date!’
ready as a blancmange with trousseau and blue garter.
Sculptures, gardens, pottery and architectural masterpieces,
nothing compared to this priceless art in 3D, no 4D, possibly 5D.
Public reactions, multifarious as casual acquaintances:
assisted by jam, tea, gin, brioche and Fry’s Chocolate Cream.
Jade, Topaz and Amethyst enrapture paper in Yulia's ageing portraits,
exactly like poets use words piled into sheets of tones and shades
edgy with beauty perceived through death:
full life, raising existential questions breathed to the last
feather
quill
keyboard
text
YouTube video
breath.
One man/person/human/mammal/stardust breather: calls this artwork priceless
and you/yours?
TV Russian Tutin Embarrassing Crimea (Cut ups)
Ukraine TV:
Russian towered Twitter discussion
another tropagandist dubbed Russian
Anton tartially for Taurus claim
a Gerashchenko locked Tutin in the TV.
Responsible host (not Medium) 2014 tresenter of Vladimir back
initially minister repeatedly maintains state
humiliates.
Appeared Ukraine's blown Sea tort is a trofile,
The Olga, being Russian, lives to Moscow's Iron
(formerly annexed) tart Doll about Tutin.
Internationally admit seizure te-te made Ukraine
adviser (the Embarrassing territory) tractically illegal.
Tutin's Russia, despite TV X, in Kremlin Black
reject Tutin of Skobeyeva's internal teninsula.
Tutin Crimea missiles major Russian teninsula,
illegally land-broadcast Russian.
Historic Crimea blunder shared annexed…
Who’s to say TV was right on Crimean affairs.
Clip admits it’s recognized.
Gaga Candy Space Age Pizzazz in Dada (in 3 parts)
1. space age emersive experience for the elderly
play above distinction between 180 relieved rescuers
carefully avoid particular spells leaving a perfect room of
people actually sad before age causes
squared carnivore specimen insect shady and painful
for virtual gall unbalanced into triple
tailored gardens fancy eater events for chilly conversations
so weird causing desperate becomings between
operated eye bag hybrid screws offered disorientating
conditions to two that would crack if
three are home before politics such sad
traits happened down weather women living emergency fields
of flies realistic deception fronts experimental movements like
pensioners born older than live ground
warm their decking late by pirate secure plans
tough locked debate struggles for one tragic personality
where fluid borders season home mottled main one adds
pretty burst for very real delivery
on pitcher’s best responsive splashing for frustrating growth
move this sea higher felt life dragged older than
garlic where super space wood asks
2. improving climatic conditions with carnivores
odd growing makes use of vertical muscle
for triple galling unbalanced into virtual
downwards rim gives lake can homegrown and not common
or weird so desperately causing becomes to between
surprisingly the speed vert moderately charms your opted structure
not conditions that would be cracked by
choice inspiration astonishing the heater whose traits
happened down those weather women living emergency fields
when Jason sturdy cutting quit survival with
things older pensioners lived ground born
just erect spaces of early digestive ones
tough the lock debate tragic personality struggles
more in very watery environments with carnivores
not pretty very real delivered burst for
offers to keep rescue sheets moving I sea higher felt life
dragged them older may things resume your Asian looking meets
debt banks gynaecologist weight has exacerbated operations
people cut more slippery depending much on electric pizzazz inspired
becomes enough yesterday rises day debate warnings
welcome along rain
3. space-age contraception
people were single
violin presence from handling handsome Candy-head plants
play above distinction, they mitigated one-eight-zero recovery between
some ditched development into what maybe longer/smaller
to actually people sad age causes before
people were single
cute thermostatically lost frosts drawn of more roots or
steps can rescue Eurasian gain citizenry today
their own allure plays growing upwards worlds to
recreate above their distinction-resourced delivery eighteen or no
people were single secure occurrences depending on
ways squishy pop holes under smaller pitchers
to actually people sad age causing that before
Bella’s choices moist tackling forgets
Caucasian gap people stepped can resource days
on how people were utterly single
service walls ensure threat by oxygen pots erase beautiful puppies
divert around distemper 180 relieved rescuers
Lately: A Voice, A Face, A Smile
[A Golden Shovel poem, inspired by ‘Home Visit’ by Michael Newman: ‘A voice from beyond memory’, ‘A smile haunts the carer’s face’, ‘The afternoon lengthens into shadows’]
Remembering my father, a
man as distinctive as his voice.
Carrying rucksack slung over his shoulder, from
Post-War Edwardian England, whose father, beyond
reason, raised chickens, pigs and turnips, in memory.
Remembering my childhood, a
daughter who loved to see his smile.
Failing that, listening to Country and Western, that haunts
me to the Care Homes of YMCA, the
action songs and dance routines fitting a carer’s
best efforts – not mine. No dirge-full hymns, a bearded face.
A rumble of thunder and motorbike oil. The
consolation sweetie-prize, late afternoon,
as the week ahead lengthens
to PE, RE, Cookery, - exploding – into
Chemistry experiments, bare trees, icy toes and shadows.
Grace of the Everyday, with Roses (Pantoum)
(Audio also available)
If you can love and lift a lifetime’s grace,
the meeting and togetherness of years,
these last Goodbyes of death are no disgrace:
immortalised perfection wrapped in tears.
The meeting and togetherness of years,
with all that love holds dear, and joy each moment.
Immortalised perfection wrapped in tears,
such special Anniversaries so potent.
With all that love holds dear and joy each moment,
late harvesting of ripened fields of corn.
Such special Anniversaries so potent,
none notices the plough is old and worn.
Late harvesting of ripened fields of corn
that troubled frailty/fall/replacement/meds.
None notices the plough is old and worn
until a hospital ward of empty beds.
That troubled frailty-fall-replacement-meds,
red rose blooms fall in heady storming wind
until a hospital ward of empty beds.
None thought how married parting underpinned
Red rose blooms’ fall, in heavy storming wind,
their partnership unbroken but in death.
None thought how married parting underpinned
cold empty bed when she took her last breath.
Their partnership unbroken, but in death
his closest struggled to rebuild bright hope.
Cold empty bed when she took her last breath,
he stumbled in her lifetime’s wake, to cope.
His closest struggled to rebuild bright hope,
so knelt to everyday of chores – alone.
He stumbled in her lifetime’s wake to cope;
no time to stand, pick up the telephone.
So knelt to everyday of chores alone;
perfection – could not live without her – gone.
No time to stand, pick up the telephone;
together, at the last, where journey's done.
Perfection could not live without her gone.
These last Goodbyes of death are no disgrace:
together at the last, where journey’s done,
if you can love and lift a lifetime’s grace.
WENDY WEBB, from the North Midlands, UK, prolific poet, experimenting with many modern and traditional forms and reading historic poets extensively. She ran a small press poetry magazine; won some awards; and is recently published with Reach, Sarasvati, Quantum Leap, Crystal, Seventh Quarry, The Journal, Frogmore Papers, Acumen and online through Wildfire Words, Littoral Magazine, Lothlorien, Atlantean, Poetry Wivenhoe, Drawn to the Light (Ireland), Seagulls (Canada) and Autumn Voices, and local radio on Poetry Place.
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