Unashamed
NaPoWriMo challenges me to look more closely at art
This NaPoWriMo (National Poetry Writing Month) I am joining in with a couple of different poetry prompt pages. I am not aiming to write every day, but to write in a way that challenges me to think differently. As well as Louise Goodfield’s Plant Your Poetry prompts I am attempting to challenge myself to write Ekphrastic poems with Lorna Gill and The Orange Verse.
Lorna explains about Ekphrasic poetry in her post last week:
Simply put, for those with a tiny brain like mine, Ekphrastic poetry is a vivid description of a visual piece of art. Now, I like art, and wandering around art galleries staring at paintings for hours on end (when I can), and I like poetry, so I thought this was worth ‘having a stab at’, it is NaPoWriMo after all and I want to try and grow as a poet and try new things, even they scare me - and Ekphrastic poetry scares me - a lot!
Not being able to get out and about that much, I chose to use a post from the Tate on Instagram as my muse to write today’s poem. It is a portrait by Alice Neel called ‘Ethel Ashton’ (pictured below)
Unashamed (Ethel Ashton)
She is not ashamed of her curves, her gentle rolls and dimpled skin, she unveils it all, opening herself fully as she sits waiting on the bed. Her eyes reveal all that she has lost, she is lonely and afraid, yet she is not ashamed. Each curve of her skin as it folds into another tells the story of her life, her open arms, welcoming and gentle. Ruddy cheeks from years of hard labour, eyes ringed by dark circles, her body has lived a lifetime of motherhood, her breasts and nipples hang, emptied of milk, now no longer needed, the flesh on her thighs held by her ample hips, stretch as she sits, revealing little but showing enough to suggest, she is not ashamed of her femininity and her love of play. As she looks at her lover her eyes call ‘come to me’ and I just know her embrace would be warm and generous, soft and gentle, she would give all of herself. I am envious of her courage to be noticed, as I cover my own curved flesh desperate for it not to be seen, and yet, longing to be this woman’s friend so she could teach me all that she knows about how to be a woman who does not give a fuck about what the world says about her, who embraces each curve, each roll, each uncomfortable to look at part of her body and forces you to see that she is beautiful.
I have struggled with my own body image lately, good old ME has robbed me of my once thinner shape and I now am larger than I have ever been before in my life. I weigh too much, my BMI is obscene and I do not like what I see. I am trying to see myself as more than a number on the scale, or an ever increasing dress size, but it is hard. It has been ingrained into me over many years that overweight/obese = bad and thin is beautiful - this is wrong, I know, but it is always a lot easier to say when you are not struggling with weight gain and aren’t living in an inactive disabled body. Anyway, seeing this painting really moved me into writing the poem, and has shown me that my curves can be beautiful and that there is so much more to me than what dress size I am.
Have you been inspired to write a poem based on a painting or piece of art? If not, I would encourage you to take a look online at the various art exhibitions available, or visit your local art gallery if you are able, and give it a go. I found this fun and will definitely be hoping to improve my craft during April’s Elphrastic Poetry challenge.
Until next time
Lisa x
Your words touched me deeply. As a person who is not small by any means, thank you for speaking to this.
I really like this poem, Lisa. And I've never seen that painting before. Her gaze is compelling. I would love to be able to let go of thin = good as well. It's so hard.