Page 10 - Sacred Nude

Ode to Irma
Francesca Simonelli

IRMA as acronym: I Render Mass Awakening.

She dissipates through her uprising.
She cannot settle herself through stillness
But rather she must churn us up in her fury,
Into a frenzy
So that we may pay attention this time.
We keep ignoring her repetitive calls.
We don’t care enough to give thanks.
Praise caught in our throats like a jawbreaker
That we were all too eager to get down.
Suddenly,
In her mammoth presence,
We remember our size,
In relation to nature.
We bow down,
Kneel upon
The empty thrones
We have constructed for ourselves
In vain, in haste.
And we desperately pray,
Making all kinds of bargains with God.
She dismantles us
From grace
And resurrects us in unwavering faith.
Are we not afraid of the consequences of our sins?

Jessica K Ballantyne
Bliss Hysteria
Graphite, spraypaint and wax pencil
on paper
59.4 x 84.1cm