Poetry Magazines - The best collection of poetry magazines online - Simon Armitage

Poetry Library Southbank Centre - The Poetry Library housing the Arts Council Collection at Southbank Centre

« Previous item
Contents of this issue
Next item »

Liz Atkin

print this page

Funeral retrospective

The models arrive
in chronological order
to process in single file
down the narrow aisle,
each one stark naked

but for heels and hats
and one Venus in Gloves,
beauties gone beyond blowsy
carrying their drapes
of fur and velvet to the empty pews

where they arrange themselves
posing as they did for him
after gin and cream cakes
from his rusting fridge.

Reclining, seated, sprawled,
full-frontal standing,
decaying femmes fatales
blue veins knotting
as they root for the earth,
their facial pigment paste
slapped over a greenish base,

each one holds her pose
in the church chill
motionless but for spasms
and the tiniest dribble
over creeping goose flesh
for a full forty five minutes

while the artist’s wife,
eyes clotted with cataracts
sits alone in her wheelchair,
dressed and rug wrapped
and firmly tucked in.

 

Liz Atkin lives in Newcastle. Her first poetry collection Glee with Blue Background was published in 1999 by Diamond Twig Press, Newcastle.

Page(s) 44

Back to top