This is how he looks, my friend –
his thoughts are somewhere else
but here he is, in triplicate
which should suffice –
enough for you to do your work
to make your kingly image
so that head of his can join
the rulers of antiquity.
Although his absent gaze
travels past the present artist
as far away as Ancient Rome –
past paintings, bas-reliefs and statues
to cool fulfilment, he does not see
himself, what surrounds
or that which lies before him.
Enough though for yourself
this time. No prancing horse
or groom, no splendid landscape …
just the head, Gianlorenzo –
a simple bust. The boy has added
lace and satin, but the face –
those heads, are mine.
Sufficient for His Majesty
and enough for you to make him
satisfactorily real and regal.
My triple portrait awaits
your singular attention.
© Richard Westcott
Picture 10446192, engraving after triple portrait by Anthony van Dyck, circa 1645, image copyright Mary Evans / Interfoto
Richard Westcott (once upon a time a doctor) has had poems pop up in all sorts of places, won a prize here and there, and been listed, commended and highly commended in various competitions (including the Hippocrates, York Mix, Camden Lumen, Plough, and Poetry on the Lake). He won the Poetry Society’s annual Stanza Competition in 2018, judged by Penelope Shuttle, with his poem ‘A Traditional Cure’. A pamphlet, There they live much longer, was published by Indigo Dreams in March 2018, and his blog is at www.richardwestcottspoetry.com
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