An Appreciation Of The Nude In Art Poem by Dónall Dempsey

An Appreciation Of The Nude In Art

Rating: 5.0


Although I very much
appreciate it
you in a welder’s mask
but precious little else

your nakedness
totally unafraid
of flame or spark
as you solder bits of scavenged metal
to create impossibly beautiful metal men

sentinels to guard
our bedroom
as if we were
the tomb of Tutankhamen.

You take
the mask off
and your hair unfurls like a red banner
laugh
and tell me to: “F**k off! ”

You love
the implements of your art
the sheer physicality of it
whether it be

welder’s torch or chisel or chainsaw.
Chainsaw?
You rev it up!
(in the buff)
- totally unguarded -
tell me
to shut up
stand still

as you shape
(oh the roar of the naked blade)
some poor tree
into a fantastically futuristic
portrait of me
in wood.
I catch
my breath
and have to admit:
“It’s good...it’s more than good! ”

and I
am no prude
but
why
do you have to do
it
in the nude!

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Scarlett Treat 11 September 2007

As Gina said, the Nude in the Art....Came to Life....How funny!

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Gina Pisapia 31 August 2007

Oh this gave me a good laugh but oh all that naked flesh and all those sparks. It gave me the shivers. Do you know how nude(but never rude) you often are in your poems? You and Frieda seem to spend most of your time without clothes which I'm not saying is a bad thing but don't you ever get cold? I too love the fact that the nude in this art is actually the maker of the art! What a great turnabout...I chuckled at that. I love your Frieda love poems they're always different and slightly mad. And she seems to be the one who instignates everything and you just get carried along in her slipstream! You seem to be the Boswell to her Dr. Johnson. I'm glad you keep this beautiful record of her and that she lives on in my mind. love GinaXXX

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Dee Dee Wright 29 August 2007

Ha ha this is lovely. It made me smile and laugh. I love the woman in this poem - she's got balls! So nice to see that the 'nude' in the 'art' of the title is the one making the art(she's a woman after my own heart) . I think I love her. Are you allowed to fall in love with people in other people's poems. She's just something else. Is this the Frieda of so many other poems? Seems like you were blessed with a wonder of a woman in her own right and no wonder you write poems about her...you have to! A woman completely unadorned and happy in her nakedness going around making art...great...just great. Dee Dee

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Dónall Dempsey

Dónall Dempsey

Curragh Camp, Co. Kildare, Eire.
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