Pepper's Ghost, by Ellie Nevin

Pepper's Ghost

Dancing on a pinpoint of hope, like a lingering whisper
you fly, hazy and billowing, circling in liquid air.
 
Your silence is a siren call. As I sail in my ship of grief,
I glance toward the sky to find the trail of stars
 
that will take me to Arcadia, your hallowed space
where lights blaze and dark places are dark no longer.
 
A ghostly mirage, you’re pale-faced in the gloom,
and yet you glimmer, like a candle in a distant window.
 
You’re the faith that restores promise, despite haunting fancies
swimming, knocking at the backdoor of the mind.
 
Though melancholy fills my lungs and weighs me down
to sinking point, I see your outstretched arm and rise
 
A breath away from breaking your enchantment, reaching
consciousness enough, I touch the fluted edges of your dress.
 
Enigma, gossamer flower, you diminish. My fingerprint,
a labyrinth, home to earthen soil of growth and love and blood,
 
corrupts you. Waning in the glass, your chiffon ruffles melt
into a distant nebula, blurred form that taints me
 
with sorrow. Your presence clings to this dusty air,
much longer after you’ve gone.

Ellie Nevin

Editor's note: This poem was written in response to Kate Moss wearing designer Alexander McQueen's Autumn/Winter 2006 Collection.

Ellie Nevin is a Yorkshire lass who is living in Lancaster to study a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing. She is a poet at heart but also dabbles in other creative areas such as painting and sketching when she has the time!