September 2016
I live with my girlfriend in London , where I work in advertising. In my spare time I enjoy learning Chinese and writing poetry and short stories (mainly horror). My work has appeared in Rattle and Faber Academy, among others. You can find my work (in English and Chinese) at www.facebook.com/grasshopperpoetry.
Thick Paint
Chiaroscuro
plays in gentle patterns
across your brow
Mixing the colours
while they dry out
in the morning sun
I smudge purple across
the faces of clouds,
perspective flattened
You layer teal flesh
to the stenciled ghost
of the bridge
The colours aren't right
you say
and they aren't
but I think
it's not half bad.
Vision
Before pen touches paper,
paint licks stone or ink
daubs linen
before there was light
and shade
and crosshatching forming
nests for blackbirds
before the cut
before the pirouette
before the mind fires
along the body
there was looking,
waiting, the camera
obscura of the mind’s eye.
©2016 Alexander James
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