Dodge the filthy clumps,
their chilblained faces,
rabbit-eyes, broken teeth.
Ease into the stone
church, the one work
you will give them: the virgin,
charcoal-lined, comfort
for the people in their hours
at the furnace, the spools.
With paregoric and tonic bitters,
endure the stained light,
cold arches, and eye-sockets.
Empty, unpainted, the dreadful
ovals will tell what she felt
when she touched her son,
cool and rigid as marble
awaiting the chisel, pale
as old muslin, spilt cream.
Elizabeth Pelley, Condon Abandoned (mixed media)
Artist's Commentary:
This poem speaks to me of abandonment. This mirrors the pervasive theme in my collage Condon Abandoned. It incorporates photos and drawings of lonely and pristine images that evoke a sense of emptiness and quiet.