Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Dickens Himself Would Be Cold Here (Poem)


Plaster on Steel Frame
105-7/8" by 139-15/16" x 125"
Gift of The Glenstone Foundation
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.


Dickens Himself Would Be Cold Here

     after Rachel Whiteread's Ghost

Nothing breaks
out.

Gridded tiles
of ice

stacked
and mortised

shut in
a room stripped

to contain its air-
locked self.

Nothing leaves
the walled void,

not by a black hole
in the door's

handle. A switch
reverse-depressed

freezes what light
calls you to,

the negative
surfacing white.

Dickens himself would
be cold here.

© 2013 Maureen E. Doallas

10 comments:

Glynn said...

Fine poem, Maurren. I feel cold just reading it (and I'm not Dickens).

Unknown said...

A great attitude, and a great travel to read this poem. Thanks.

blackwildflowers said...

Cold and clarifying. An eloquent ekphrasis.

blackwildflowers said...

Clean and clarifying. An eloquent ekphrasis.

scotthastiepoet said...

I've seen this piece by RW myself and found your poem to be a skilful rendition and response to the work. Enjoyed a lot - along with the measured confidence in your verse.

Regards

Scott www.scotthastie.com

Brian Miller said...

a little cold and maybe snowed in there eh? lucky i am sitting next to a heat vent right now...smiles

S. Etole said...

Shivering ...

Ann LeFlore said...

A very nice pome and a well travels one too. Truely enjoyed this

Stan Ski said...

Felt chilly to me too!

lucychili said...

ooh yes i feel like this in a lot of stark architecture. well described.