Students from the English Writing class have been trying their hand at ekphrastic poetry.  This is a type of poetry which is inspired by another work of art, such as a painting, drawing or photo.  Some responses reflected on what the artist may have been thinking when producing the work, while others spun out possible stories and events from the image, such as Mikaela Willett’s “Behind a Queen of Drag”.  Some delved into the thoughts of someone in the painting, such as the little man contemplating his nonsensical world in Xavier Carter’s “Waterfall”.

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Behind A Queen of Drag

Part One

His eyes stare

right through the soul of all he entrances,

stripping them bare

dissecting their glances and hushed words.

Standing tall, shoulders squared,

lips pursed: holding his tongue.

He steels himself to the disappointment,

to all who tell him not to be.

Trapped behind the thick mascara and heavy foundation,

lost in the image of drag,

never with his own name.

Arms held firm,

support at his sides.

In a dressing room,

where they show themselves unapologetically.

Ever strong in the spotlight,

with his family, chosen.

“It’s time”

Part Two

Warm beer in his hands,

footy on the screen,

slouched in his worn brown chair.

Mumblings of annoyance.

His hand lifts

scratching at the stubble of his tired face.

Eyes flicker

to the photo frame faced down on the corner table.

A sigh.

The weight of a boy in a pirate costume,

laying heavy on the mind of

a fathers naivety.

Made to disappear,

yet still ever present,

the ghost of his boy,

neglected,

haunting him now as the man he became.

Blue lights of the screen like bulbs around a mirror.

Mikaela Willett

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