dissolving in the gallery
by James Morehead
welcome to our gallery i read in dulling bronze
our artisans suggest you linger in each hall,
for if you pause and stare for hours, you may be reborn.
i first stop in the library, lined with ancient tomes
and watch the words slip from their pages
'til nothing's left, not even phrases.
the next room’s filled with paintings hung in even stacks,
some layered rich in color, others finely sketched,
soon the pigment slowly fades, oil drips away,
revealing stark blank canvases, white walls in decay.
each figure in the next hall holds a perfect pose, muscles carved
from blocks of stone, unblinking eyes set deep,
left still on polished pedestals, ever on display,
until they’re melted down by fire into molten pools
becoming solid masses as the steaming swirl cools.
i step into the final room where mirrors line each wall;
lit only by a single beam, i’m pulled towards the light
and just like the art before, my body starts to fade,
dissolving into shadows that vanish through the floor.
and so i join words paint and stone jumbled in the tomb,
then waiting for three days to pass, i rise once more—and bloom.
Hear James Morehead, and other selected poets, read their poems on The Viewless Wings Poetry Podcast:
The value of poetry workshops: nine poets recite original poems – Viewless Wings Poetry Podcast
Submit your polished poetry for the opportunity of being published on ViewlessWings.com and being interviewed on The Viewless Wings Poetry Podcast.
James Morehead is the Poet Laureate of Dublin, California. “canvas: poems” is his debut collection, and he hosts The Viewless Wings Poetry Podcast. James’ poem “tethered” was transformed into an award-winning hand drawn animated short film, and “gallery” was set to music for baritone and piano by composer Deon Nielsen Price.
James’ poems have appeared in multiple journals including Wingless Dreamer, Prometheus Dreaming and PromptPress (Prompt for the Planet).
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