Alchemy: Ekphrasis in Chalk

Chalk Sculptures, by Pradeep Anurag Reddy Gade (Canada, b. India). Contemporary. Click on image for artist Instagram.

Alchemy: Ekphrasis in Chalk

Soft stone, a palette
porcelain, in cylinders
of white
scribbles, scrapes
on black-green board
students stare toward summer
erased in puffing clouds
from brushes beaten, afterwards
take one, pass the rest back
regurgitate, feed fledglings
hollow calories, dispensed
exhaled puffs, and beatings
saviour stands apart, alone
a solitary stick
of dusty stone, potential
see it?! there!
just inside exterior
beneath the surgeon’s blade
incision, carve redundancy
away, dispatched in dustings
of new life, a leaf, a building
my new friends, both artisans
like me, keep company
beyond the confine, classroom walls
outside, where life occurs, in art
and sculpture, dreams
in dusty puffs
of cloud and creativity, potential
realized, at last

Bill Arnott

Vancouver author, poet, songwriter Bill Arnott is the bestselling author of Dromomania and Gone Viking. His poetry, articles and reviews are published in Canada, US, UK, Europe and Asia. Bill's column Poetry Beat is published by the League of Canadian Poets and the Federation of BC Writers. His playful newsletter, Bill's Artist Showcase, is accessible through Facebook.