rokeby venus, an ekphrasis
lucy rumble
Child of love holds the self between his hands,
A balancing act of silver-stroked perfection.
It’s got her attention: too busy in her mirrored
Musings to hear the men calling for her
to turn
to be touched on subtle skin
to let herself be ruined those smooth
ridges between
lounging hips.
Venus has her blockers on.
She’s there for herself, alone in cherub blessing.
Paint’s got the power: unmoving, unchanging,
Giving her the loving. She has no need for you.
Lucy Rumble is an emerging writer from Essex. Her poem 'My Nan, Remembered' won third place in the 2023 Tap Into Poetry contest, and her work has been published in Crow & Cross Keys, Schlock! Webzine, and Needle Poetry, among others. When she isn’t writing, she is trapped in the dust and darkness of an archive (or her mind). Find her on Instagram @lucyrumble.writes or at lucy.smlr.uk.
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