B.
Flame
Behind the scenes
A poem by Isla Reeves Martin.
Ash Keating Concrete Propositions 2012. Acrylic house paint on concrete. Copyright the artist. Courtesy the artist and Fehily Contemporary, Melbourne Australia. Photo: John Collie
You are a flame
if nothing else.
You begin whole
dancing
a lit horizon.
You pour yourself
encompassing all
of everything
in your hollow arms.
You are warmth.
Soon, you begin to flicker
your touch not constant
but partial
weak, strong
weak, strong.
You realise
that despite your
raging freedom
you are caged.
By a metal door
a bucket of water
society
your head.
Your light cannot last.
And slowly
throughout the days
the winter
the darkness
you are extinguished
to a few lonely embers
and such a stone cold blackness
that even you can't remember
what it was like to be alive.
And you wait
until somebody
somewhere
something
comes and lights you again.
For you have realised
through your fiery sadness
that you cannot do it yourself.
Ash Keating Concrete Propositions 2012. Acrylic house paint on concrete. Copyright the artist. Courtesy the artist and Fehily Contemporary, Melbourne Australia. Photo: John Collie
Isla Reeves Martin is part of the Year 12 Hagley Community College Creative Writing class.
Over the coming weeks we'll be featuring more works from the students here on the Bunker Notes blog.