After The Woman In The Moon by Aubrey Beardsley
in the age of pen & ink
the moon is concealed
by marble mantles
large dark-ish ones
over blank marble ones
and areas of fine detail
they tumble-down
contorted into all sorts
shapes and lines
large dark-ish ones
something elaborate
stumbled, over
blank marble ones
scribbling & drawing
on areas of fine detail
almost nothing blank
and something absent
in their gaze
contorted into all sorts
just up and increasing
cautious like that
it grows
yellow lines, black
and yellow marble strands
heaven is lowered
onto marble light
while something absent
over scribbling, grows
over large dark ones
in the age of pen & ink
almost something
almost enough
over the scribbling
but tumble-down
contorted into all sorts
by yellow mantles
just up and increasing
and cautious like that
shapes and lines
they tumble-down
the moon is hidden
by a marble cloud
see the shapes and lines
the face concealed
by yellow mantles
over large scribbling
where heaven is lowered
and contorted into all sorts
while something absent
turns light mantle
over blank marble ones
shapes and lines
stumble in their gaze
while heaven is lowered to
a wholeness that contorts
into all sorts, for sure
just up and increasing
while shapes and lines
conceal the moon
who’s the serious type
and cautious like that
he reaches to the moon
who’s the secretly-mad type
and cautious like that
but little did they know
that the yellow is lowered
& she’s the fun-loving type
_____________
Astra is a PhD student at the University of Surrey with focus in experimental writing and the neo-futurist tradition across poetry, visual art and performance. She has read at poetry events including the European Poetry Festival and The Enemies Project. Her poetry has appeared in small magazines and anthologies including The Tangerine, Eborakon Journal and 3:am Magazine, and has been translated into Russian, Slovenian and Spanish.