Bodhisattva
6th century bronze figurine R.A.A. "Bronze" exhibition.
Between Uma with her semi-precious stones
and Venus examining her toes
you sit pensive, exquisitely petite,
emanating peace.
A six inch goddess in the company
of life-size casts;
no veins, or individual muscle groups,
just the tilt of your head
toward the profile of your hand.
A gesture that leads me to consider
whether your fingertips were ever meant
to touch your chin.
I marvel at how you
hold your own
when giant Perseus is in the other room,
dangling the head of Medusa.
Elaine Beckett originally trained as a composer. Her debut pamphlet Faber New Poets 13 was published by Faber & Faber in 2016. Her work has appeared in The Poetry Review, Ambit, The North and The New European. She enjoys speaking her poems and has read at poetry festivals such as Ledbury and Poetry in Aldeburgh, as well as on Radio 3’s The Verb. Her first full length collection Sea Creature Regrows Entire Body was published by Verve Poetry Press. You can find her here: www.elainebeckett.com.