Private Dancer + Riding The Llama + From A Window (Photo)

A new set of signs where developed for the Realm Exhibition of 2018. I moved away from the international sign of disabled people and started looking for words to be photographed as instructions that I could then develop rules of the realm from. This idea came from a walk around Bethlem with Mr X and Hazel Brill (my collaborative artists) and a possee of mentors, support workers and gallery staff. I had not considered this when I started this poem. Rather I’ve recently had two assessments for further therapeutic support. In life its been difficult to ask for help for the self. Poetry seems to be a better, more open way of assessing understanding.

Private Dancer

The doctors and the therapists
The dark personnel assessment
Of the staff and the regiment
Patients assess the benefits

Of an inner exploration
If you keep yourself to yourself
Like a wallflower on the shelf
Of a futile disco nation

Silent loneliness keeps the beat
A spineless back against the wall
A twiddling thumb, a brash footfall
A coming out amongst the feet

Of dancers doing the dancing
Of boot boy skins, a lunar stomp
Joining in with this needy romp
Chance this arm, he wants romancing

Waking up solitary soul
To be amongst the boys and girls
A giddy floor of swirls and twirls
And still inside a private howl

Being assessed in this glass fish bowl
Whilst wanting only to rock n roll

Richard Downes
31st December 2020
(From the Signs series)

Haiku; Riding the Llama

Daily Haiku Theme 282 is existence or llamas. Weekly theme; wilted flowers or cake

Riding The Llama

I stand a llama
On a xmas cake’s icing
Foot prints in the snow

With the ice melting
Those footprints will disappear
Where is the llama?

When the sun is shining
Where are his footprints
In fields of wilted flowers

Covered in glitter
Like rainbows of morning frost
On the xmas cake

With his llama friends
Treading currents into cake
Oh crumbs its finished

Richard Downes
1st January 2021
(From the Haiku series)