The Gust of Wind, 1904. Léon Spilliaert
The wind of change came as a gentle breeze.
No one seemed to notice
the darkening clouds gathering in the East,
threatening the day.
Then the shutters slammed and the eaves shrieked,
the dark descended.
Sirens heralded silent men in masks.
One by one, removed.
The storm relents, she leaves the empty house,
walks the empty streets.
A world, bereft of love, devoid of hope.
Stands at the sea’s edge,
on the quayside, watching the flood tide ebb,
mirroring her life,
a cold ocean of loneliness and grief,
waiting for the final gust.
Terry Wassall April 2020
Image source https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/leon-spilliaert
This is an attempt at a type of poem called an Ekphastic poem –
Ekphrastic poetry explores art. Using a rhetorical device known as ekphrasis, the poet engages with a painting, drawing, sculpture, or other form of visual art. Poetry about music and dance might also be considered a type of ekphrastic writing.