by Sophie Haxworth
with illustrations by Angela Giraldo
Speed says the machine
in tongues of stitches stitches stitches
like ants in haste to nowhere
along scurried lines of sleeve
while rows of metal voices
in the syncopated rhythm
of many running feet
are saying speed.
It’s de rigueur. It’s à la mode.
Taste the flavours of their chic,
words to savour from your folds
of lavender-scented vogue.
Revel in your opulence
for every passerby;
you exist in the caesura,
a fabric-rustling sigh.
It’s ripping time’s own fabric
at hypersonic speed
showrooms hear the static
tessellate chromatic scenes
and radar guns shoot
a hostile gaze at yester-shades
while flashes of colour
blur every hue but green.
Wear that speed. Wear it slow.
Frame its leisurely repose,
Wring a moment out for time
indulging in a strut’s design:
an amble, stride, a linger here
before the final pose.
Pieces of the crowd’s delight
cling to you, accessorise;
slowly they will comprehend
the speed bump speed forebodes.
Sophie is a poet and all round words-enthusiast who particularly enjoys using them for good, but can also be found using them to spout nonsensical musings or attempting to start serious conversations about art at social gatherings. Follow her doing all of the above on instagram @haxwordth.
Angela Giraldo is a graduate geographer with a recently found interest in the digital art world. When she isn't feeling particularly creative, she is reading all things climate change related or practising her French words. In the future, she hopes to showcase her work more publicly but for now, keep an eye out for her illustrations on imprint mag.zine!
Comments