Henry Moore's King and Queen in Dumfries, by Rosemarie Barr

King and Queen, by Henry Moore (England) 1952-53. paddy heron / 'King & Queen' by Henry Moore, Glenkiln

Henry Moore's King and Queen in Dumfries
 
They sit rooted in rocks, 
here forever like two fossilized trees,
their heads broken stumps
their eyes pierced holes.
In other places they might frame a circle
of high rise buildings, docksides, part of the sea.
Here they see only the sky,
at this moment a circle of pale cobalt blue,
a wisp of white
but when dawn breaks, yellows and oranges,
that palest of blues 
jostle together in that silent orb of bronze.
 
Imagine the changes that happen here:
the black of storms, the grey of a misty day.
In winter, rain dripping like tears,
etching the bronze with rivulets of turquoise 
staining their feet and the rocks below.
 
In winter they must be blinded by snow
their eyes filled, a glassy white,
their heads crowned or haloed 
their laps a sheet of ice, their clasped hands frozen.
 
At night they sit together, never sleep
but contemplate their kingdom, 
a sliver of moon, the stars.
 
Rosemarie Barr
 
Rosemarie Barr likes sculptures because, as a ceramic artist, she makes them herself, but on a small scale with a certain amount of humour. Her recent poetry is in The Wild World and Last Stanza Poetry Journal. She lives in Wales and is a member of Penfro Poets.