Four Stages of Grief: An Ekphrasis of Rothko's Quartet, by A.R. Williams

Untitled (Green and Maroon), by Mark Rothko (USA, b. Latvia) 1953

Four Stages of Grief: An Ekphrasis of Rothko's Quartet
  
I. Green and Maroon (1953)
 
A dense, swirling haze
whispers sadness,
its uneven edges dressed
in deception.

Beneath, a smaller ardent block
simmers silently,
bleeding down the frame
in rebellion,

divided by a sliver of
fragile calm--
a mere illusion.

The denial of the agony
that stews
underneath, cannot
endure.

Untitled (Ochre and Red on Red), by Mark Rothko (USA, b. Latvia) 1954

​II. Ochre and Red on Red (1954)
 
You drift in a sea
of rage, deep enough

to engulf, yet shallow
enough for steps. A thin

shaving of slippage divides
the wading from sinking.

Believe me: the deeper
you plunge, the more

you float. Oppose it,
and watch yourself

be engulfed, like paper
claimed by fire.

Untitled (Green and Tangerine on Red), by Mark Rothko (USA, b. Latvia) 1956

III. Green and Tangerine on Red (1956)
 
In the heart of the divide
tangerine embers 
smolder and midnight emerald
fog looms
overhead, thick with
unspoken vows.

This liminal space
eludes negotiation.
You cannot
control the uncontrollable,
nor make sense
of the senseless.
 
Instead, venture into
the dark clouds; discover their
surprising translucence.

Untitled (Orange and Red on Red), by Mark Rothko (USA, b. Latvia) 1957

IV. Orange and Red on Red (1957)
 
Coral fades into crimson
on scarlet, as  
numbness deepens
into withdrawal,  
spiraling into despair.  
Layer upon layer, a climax
of weight. You selected your sunset, 

painted in the hues
of your culminating
act— prematurely, time severed.
Now, we must navigate  
acceptance of
a journey interrupted  
before reaching its final stage.

A.R. Williams

A.R. Williams is a poet living in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley (USA). He is the editor of East Ridge Review and author of A Funeral in the Wild (Kelsay Books, 2024). ​