Ruth Holzer
Poison
The Marquise de Brinvilliers
descended the grand escalier,
its balustrade a curve of grace
filigreed with iron lace.
In splendor reigned le Roi Soleil,
when the Marquise de Brinvilliers,
nursing a hatred for her père,
made arsenic his daily fare.
Then the toxins darkly coursed
through her brothers who had forced
the Marquise of Brinvilliers
when she was but a girl at play.
She fed it to her daughter too,
and patients in the Hôtel-Dieu,
till Justice sheared the head away
from the Marquise de Brinvilliers.
Humanities
The things we had to learn
to live rewarding lives
are now of no concern.
Declensions to discern,
the kings and all their wives—
such things we had to learn.
A poem about an urn
and beauty that revives
is now of no concern.
Who caused the books to burn,
who killed with long bright knives:
those names we had to learn:
knowledge hard to earn.
The dross remains and thrives,
but it’s of no concern.
For we have had our turn
and rank ignorance survives.
The things we had to learn
are now of no concern.
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
| Avila Gray is a self-taught illustrator, specialising in fine ink pen and watercolour paintings. Avi is based in Sydney, Australia, where she operates a stationery business called Erlenmeyer, selling art prints, greeting cards, playing cards, stickers and colouring books. Erlenmeyer is also the name of Avi's storytelling animal kingdom; a futuristic utopia where sentient creatures live in harmony across 12 cities on Earth. All of the compositions from her illustrative range depict snapshots from this story; her body of work shows the animal characters that colour the Erlenmeyer world, as well as their culture, values and how they live. Avi has been selling her illustrations and products since 2014 and became a resident at Australia’s iconic Rocks Market for many years, developing a loyal customer base and social media following. After several years of trade shows in Sydney and London, her designs can now be found in more than 80 shops worldwide. Many of Avi's designs are licensed by the international greeting card company, Moonpig.
For additional information, please visit www.erlenmeyer.com.au.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
