Home > Ekphrasis > Ekphrasis 11: Ellsworth Kelly + James Gapinski

Ekphrasis 11: Ellsworth Kelly + James Gapinski

April 10, 2007

This poem was inspired by Study for ‘Ormession’, paper collage, 1950
by Ellsworth Kelly

*

Edge

On the edge I stand,
peering over.

The wet crags below flick sunlight back.
I remember how I slipped on some moss
as we made our way up the last hill,
so I step back from the edge.

The chasm cut beneath those rocks
seems so insignificant now.

You peer over as I move back.
To you it’s still significant. You shudder
and pull away. You want me to hold you;
you want comfort, but there is none to give.

by James Gapinski

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  1. April 22, 2007 at 10:56 am

    I read this first, then looked at the image. Surprising! But I can see it.

    This also resonated with an experience I had of walking along cliffs in Mendocino with a former boyfriend. I get acrophobic just thinking of it. The cliffs, I mean. :-)

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