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THE POETRY SERIES
This is an ongoing photographic series titled “The Poetry Series”. Each artwork has a stanza number and is accompanied by a poem written by Spencer and Lloyd in tribute to the artwork. “A Book of Poetry: Volume I” includes the first 13 stanzas and is limitedly available. Artworks from the series have been exhibited in the National Portrait Prize and included in the semi-finals of the Moran Photographic Portrait Prize.
21. The Missing
I come here to this quiet place
To remember our last embrace
And I wonder if you think of me
Or If I linger in your memory…
Perhaps you miss our favourite song
Or the way I’d off-key sing along
Perhaps you miss our lazy days
Where we’d wander off and lose our way
Perhaps you miss our late night chatter
Or how our stories made them scatter
Perhaps you miss our private jokes
You’d laugh so hard you‘d almost choke
Or perhaps my reassuring face
The day I lured you to this place…
I think I’ll linger here a while
Remembering your fading smile
But I wonder if you’ll think of me
Quite as fondly, as I do thee
To remember our last embrace
And I wonder if you think of me
Or If I linger in your memory…
Perhaps you miss our favourite song
Or the way I’d off-key sing along
Perhaps you miss our lazy days
Where we’d wander off and lose our way
Perhaps you miss our late night chatter
Or how our stories made them scatter
Perhaps you miss our private jokes
You’d laugh so hard you‘d almost choke
Or perhaps my reassuring face
The day I lured you to this place…
I think I’ll linger here a while
Remembering your fading smile
But I wonder if you’ll think of me
Quite as fondly, as I do thee
20. The Requiem
Above me the sky grows darker
The wind bristles and spins me farther
Branches and twigs scrape as I float by
Like hands clawing to keep me dry
But on I weave till I meet the sea
Far from these reeds that tangle me
Till soon their screams become a whisper
A perfect silence growing crisper
So don’t fret for me my dearest ones
I was not cut by their sharpened tongues
I was not sodden by their dampened moods
I’ve found true comfort in my solitude
The wind bristles and spins me farther
Branches and twigs scrape as I float by
Like hands clawing to keep me dry
But on I weave till I meet the sea
Far from these reeds that tangle me
Till soon their screams become a whisper
A perfect silence growing crisper
So don’t fret for me my dearest ones
I was not cut by their sharpened tongues
I was not sodden by their dampened moods
I’ve found true comfort in my solitude
19. The Painter
A fresh layer laid on thick
Hiding fate’s latest trick
And then I start to wonder
What if they see what’s under?
I check all the gaps and cracks
Sure I’ve covered up my tracks
But then I spot a forgotten hue
A peak of colour just sneaks through
What comes next? It taunts me
What new stain will haunt me?
But no last stroke will strike me
No last lick will lick me
No, this last splash will spare me
This last drip will set me free
Hiding fate’s latest trick
And then I start to wonder
What if they see what’s under?
I check all the gaps and cracks
Sure I’ve covered up my tracks
But then I spot a forgotten hue
A peak of colour just sneaks through
What comes next? It taunts me
What new stain will haunt me?
But no last stroke will strike me
No last lick will lick me
No, this last splash will spare me
This last drip will set me free
18. The Encore
She takes pause before it all begins
An audible gasp of baited breaths
She smiles and gently lifts her chin
Revelling in her guests unrest
And she wonders if they might suspect
The twists and turns she has in store
She ponders as the band project
The start of a wistful, rousing score
Are they ready for love and loss?
Are the ready to weep for joy?
The best of life comes at a cost
But soon they’ll call for her encore
An audible gasp of baited breaths
She smiles and gently lifts her chin
Revelling in her guests unrest
And she wonders if they might suspect
The twists and turns she has in store
She ponders as the band project
The start of a wistful, rousing score
Are they ready for love and loss?
Are the ready to weep for joy?
The best of life comes at a cost
But soon they’ll call for her encore
17. The Victory
A new anointed takes the throne
A celebration marks victory
A battle won from blood and bone
We’ve freed you from their tyranny
But still the memory remains
The loss of those we could not save
A candle lights their broken chains
We build our future on their graves
A celebration marks victory
A battle won from blood and bone
We’ve freed you from their tyranny
But still the memory remains
The loss of those we could not save
A candle lights their broken chains
We build our future on their graves
16. The Statue
Slowly, drawn, was this decay
Clocking time while you’re away
The piano rang her final note
Memories bound by fraying rope
Linger, leave, I chose to stay
But less of me remains today
Dust will settle, the sun will gloat
What’s left of me will wait afloat
Clocking time while you’re away
The piano rang her final note
Memories bound by fraying rope
Linger, leave, I chose to stay
But less of me remains today
Dust will settle, the sun will gloat
What’s left of me will wait afloat
15. The Fortune
I don’t need to ask the question
But if you bid me so
The answer is a lesson
That will only bring you woe
I see your present fortune
Your cup does overflow
But soon will rise a waning moon
To take what it is owed
But if you bid me so
The answer is a lesson
That will only bring you woe
I see your present fortune
Your cup does overflow
But soon will rise a waning moon
To take what it is owed
14. The Sacrifice
Do you lie awake and wonder
Sure you hear a sound?
Do you peer over your shoulder
Hold your ear against the ground?
Then let me hold you close dear
I will keep you safe
I will spend my days ensuring
We don’t ever leave a trace
Sure you hear a sound?
Do you peer over your shoulder
Hold your ear against the ground?
Then let me hold you close dear
I will keep you safe
I will spend my days ensuring
We don’t ever leave a trace
13. The Wall
The nights have passed in silence
The days were whispered sighs
I wondered twas it the highness
That kept them hastening by
I did call out perhaps once or twice
But none did seem too moved
I suppose they insisted on sacrifice
when I asked to be removed
So I’m waiting here now quite fixed
Unlikely to ever come down
But on the upside I’m now convinced
I’ll become a saint of some renown
The days were whispered sighs
I wondered twas it the highness
That kept them hastening by
I did call out perhaps once or twice
But none did seem too moved
I suppose they insisted on sacrifice
when I asked to be removed
So I’m waiting here now quite fixed
Unlikely to ever come down
But on the upside I’m now convinced
I’ll become a saint of some renown
12. The Mother
The mother has no more tears to cry
Her child was suckled till her teat ran dry
But she knows better than to wonder why
She knows if asked you would only deny
She just waits and watches the passersby
To see if they’ll stop and realise
That it is their own nature that they defy
And she decides who lives or dies
Her child was suckled till her teat ran dry
But she knows better than to wonder why
She knows if asked you would only deny
She just waits and watches the passersby
To see if they’ll stop and realise
That it is their own nature that they defy
And she decides who lives or dies
11. The Stream
All is still within these walls
Quiet, despite the rain that falls
And I wonder if I’m meant to mourn
The weight of losses I have worn
But then the sky cuts through
And a wist of rain washes me too
And now there’s peace within these walls
I find my peace where the rain here falls
Quiet, despite the rain that falls
And I wonder if I’m meant to mourn
The weight of losses I have worn
But then the sky cuts through
And a wist of rain washes me too
And now there’s peace within these walls
I find my peace where the rain here falls
10. The Attic
It was from these windows I did see
The world play out a show for me
The shadows danced around the trees
The sun did hide for the stars to peek
And oh the flowers played their part
I watched them bud, then fall apart
All as the wind, “hooed” and “harked”
A song that called each day to start
And each day they played unrestrained
Each day they awoke to dance again
And with only this window to entertain
I wondered if they’d keep me sane
The world play out a show for me
The shadows danced around the trees
The sun did hide for the stars to peek
And oh the flowers played their part
I watched them bud, then fall apart
All as the wind, “hooed” and “harked”
A song that called each day to start
And each day they played unrestrained
Each day they awoke to dance again
And with only this window to entertain
I wondered if they’d keep me sane
9. The Serpent
I am the one whose loss
Would find no one to mourn
I’ve thought to dwell
But what for I ask
It would only just prolong
So take me now I beg you
It’s now for you I yearn
I’ve thought to ask
Well before tonight
But you never did return
Would find no one to mourn
I’ve thought to dwell
But what for I ask
It would only just prolong
So take me now I beg you
It’s now for you I yearn
I’ve thought to ask
Well before tonight
But you never did return
8. The Tapestry
I carry it with me in my skin
Each hair a thread
Each line sewn in
Each hair a thread
Each line sewn in
7. The Castle
I’ll build you a wall that’s tall and high
So your enemies need not climb
I’ll build it in stone and the blood of men
So their moans will stifle your cries
I’ll build you a moat so wide and deep
That any whom pass you by
Will stop and wonder who loved you so
That they kept you safe and dry
So your enemies need not climb
I’ll build it in stone and the blood of men
So their moans will stifle your cries
I’ll build you a moat so wide and deep
That any whom pass you by
Will stop and wonder who loved you so
That they kept you safe and dry
6. The Mirror
It was a whisper that spun her so
A lingering whistle that kept her close
And though still, she swore they moved
Her lips into a smile just as quickly removed
But then, again, she saw in her eye
A narrowing, a glower, oh nature defy!
Surely mistaken, she looked once more
At the mirror, at the girl whose resemblance she bore
This portrait was a finalist in the 2017 National Photographic Portrait Prize
A lingering whistle that kept her close
And though still, she swore they moved
Her lips into a smile just as quickly removed
But then, again, she saw in her eye
A narrowing, a glower, oh nature defy!
Surely mistaken, she looked once more
At the mirror, at the girl whose resemblance she bore
This portrait was a finalist in the 2017 National Photographic Portrait Prize
5. The Bite
In it seeps through my veins once blue
The shift of season changing hue
And when it’s past you’ll find me there
Under a quilt of autumn’s hair
My eyes will open to meet your own
And at last I’ll awake for winter’s bone
But in the spring you’ll find a new
What once was dead will come for you
The shift of season changing hue
And when it’s past you’ll find me there
Under a quilt of autumn’s hair
My eyes will open to meet your own
And at last I’ll awake for winter’s bone
But in the spring you’ll find a new
What once was dead will come for you
4. The Betrayal
The night did come in quickly
And I’ll admit I am relieved
The whispers finally dulled to sleep
For a brief moment of reprieve
Yet morning is not far away
Soon enough I’ll meet their scorn
But I beg you, please don’t ask me
Why I stayed despite the storm
And I’ll admit I am relieved
The whispers finally dulled to sleep
For a brief moment of reprieve
Yet morning is not far away
Soon enough I’ll meet their scorn
But I beg you, please don’t ask me
Why I stayed despite the storm
3. The Ritual
The thoughts arise so often
I wonder if they’ll stay
To keep this nagging hunger
A little more at bay
I awoke again this morning
To find they didn’t leave
Perhaps they knew how much
They set my mind at ease
I’m thinking of inviting them
To stay at least a year
I don’t think they’ll mind at all
If I insist that they stay near
This portrait was a semi-finalist in the 2016 Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize
I wonder if they’ll stay
To keep this nagging hunger
A little more at bay
I awoke again this morning
To find they didn’t leave
Perhaps they knew how much
They set my mind at ease
I’m thinking of inviting them
To stay at least a year
I don’t think they’ll mind at all
If I insist that they stay near
This portrait was a semi-finalist in the 2016 Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize
2. The Wedding
To fall
To surrender
To rise
To conquer
It is to love
It is to fall in love
It is to be in love with you
To surrender
To rise
To conquer
It is to love
It is to fall in love
It is to be in love with you
1. The Moon
I hope you’re lulled straight to sleep
The waves caressing at your cheek
A full moon’s light will guide your way
And assure that you don’t drift away
But should that fail, feel safe that I’ll
Stay watching you from the shore a while
The waves caressing at your cheek
A full moon’s light will guide your way
And assure that you don’t drift away
But should that fail, feel safe that I’ll
Stay watching you from the shore a while
21. The Missing
I come here to this quiet place
To remember our last embrace
And I wonder if you think of me
Or If I linger in your memory…
Perhaps you miss our favourite song
Or the way I’d off-key sing along
Perhaps you miss our lazy days
Where we’d wander off and lose our way
Perhaps you miss our late night chatter
Or how our stories made them scatter
Perhaps you miss our private jokes
You’d laugh so hard you‘d almost choke
Or perhaps my reassuring face
The day I lured you to this place…
I think I’ll linger here a while
Remembering your fading smile
But I wonder if you’ll think of me
Quite as fondly, as I do thee
To remember our last embrace
And I wonder if you think of me
Or If I linger in your memory…
Perhaps you miss our favourite song
Or the way I’d off-key sing along
Perhaps you miss our lazy days
Where we’d wander off and lose our way
Perhaps you miss our late night chatter
Or how our stories made them scatter
Perhaps you miss our private jokes
You’d laugh so hard you‘d almost choke
Or perhaps my reassuring face
The day I lured you to this place…
I think I’ll linger here a while
Remembering your fading smile
But I wonder if you’ll think of me
Quite as fondly, as I do thee
20. The Requiem
Above me the sky grows darker
The wind bristles and spins me farther
Branches and twigs scrape as I float by
Like hands clawing to keep me dry
But on I weave till I meet the sea
Far from these reeds that tangle me
Till soon their screams become a whisper
A perfect silence growing crisper
So don’t fret for me my dearest ones
I was not cut by their sharpened tongues
I was not sodden by their dampened moods
I’ve found true comfort in my solitude
The wind bristles and spins me farther
Branches and twigs scrape as I float by
Like hands clawing to keep me dry
But on I weave till I meet the sea
Far from these reeds that tangle me
Till soon their screams become a whisper
A perfect silence growing crisper
So don’t fret for me my dearest ones
I was not cut by their sharpened tongues
I was not sodden by their dampened moods
I’ve found true comfort in my solitude
19. The Painter
A fresh layer laid on thick
Hiding fate’s latest trick
And then I start to wonder
What if they see what’s under?
I check all the gaps and cracks
Sure I’ve covered up my tracks
But then I spot a forgotten hue
A peak of colour just sneaks through
What comes next? It taunts me
What new stain will haunt me?
But no last stroke will strike me
No last lick will lick me
No, this last splash will spare me
This last drip will set me free
Hiding fate’s latest trick
And then I start to wonder
What if they see what’s under?
I check all the gaps and cracks
Sure I’ve covered up my tracks
But then I spot a forgotten hue
A peak of colour just sneaks through
What comes next? It taunts me
What new stain will haunt me?
But no last stroke will strike me
No last lick will lick me
No, this last splash will spare me
This last drip will set me free
18. The Encore
She takes pause before it all begins
An audible gasp of baited breaths
She smiles and gently lifts her chin
Revelling in her guests unrest
And she wonders if they might suspect
The twists and turns she has in store
She ponders as the band project
The start of a wistful, rousing score
Are they ready for love and loss?
Are the ready to weep for joy?
The best of life comes at a cost
But soon they’ll call for her encore
An audible gasp of baited breaths
She smiles and gently lifts her chin
Revelling in her guests unrest
And she wonders if they might suspect
The twists and turns she has in store
She ponders as the band project
The start of a wistful, rousing score
Are they ready for love and loss?
Are the ready to weep for joy?
The best of life comes at a cost
But soon they’ll call for her encore
17. The Victory
A new anointed takes the throne
A celebration marks victory
A battle won from blood and bone
We’ve freed you from their tyranny
But still the memory remains
The loss of those we could not save
A candle lights their broken chains
We build our future on their graves
A celebration marks victory
A battle won from blood and bone
We’ve freed you from their tyranny
But still the memory remains
The loss of those we could not save
A candle lights their broken chains
We build our future on their graves
16. The Statue
Slowly, drawn, was this decay
Clocking time while you’re away
The piano rang her final note
Memories bound by fraying rope
Linger, leave, I chose to stay
But less of me remains today
Dust will settle, the sun will gloat
What’s left of me will wait afloat
Clocking time while you’re away
The piano rang her final note
Memories bound by fraying rope
Linger, leave, I chose to stay
But less of me remains today
Dust will settle, the sun will gloat
What’s left of me will wait afloat
15. The Fortune
I don’t need to ask the question
But if you bid me so
The answer is a lesson
That will only bring you woe
I see your present fortune
Your cup does overflow
But soon will rise a waning moon
To take what it is owed
But if you bid me so
The answer is a lesson
That will only bring you woe
I see your present fortune
Your cup does overflow
But soon will rise a waning moon
To take what it is owed
14. The Sacrifice
Do you lie awake and wonder
Sure you hear a sound?
Do you peer over your shoulder
Hold your ear against the ground?
Then let me hold you close dear
I will keep you safe
I will spend my days ensuring
We don’t ever leave a trace
Sure you hear a sound?
Do you peer over your shoulder
Hold your ear against the ground?
Then let me hold you close dear
I will keep you safe
I will spend my days ensuring
We don’t ever leave a trace
13. The Wall
The nights have passed in silence
The days were whispered sighs
I wondered twas it the highness
That kept them hastening by
I did call out perhaps once or twice
But none did seem too moved
I suppose they insisted on sacrifice
when I asked to be removed
So I’m waiting here now quite fixed
Unlikely to ever come down
But on the upside I’m now convinced
I’ll become a saint of some renown
The days were whispered sighs
I wondered twas it the highness
That kept them hastening by
I did call out perhaps once or twice
But none did seem too moved
I suppose they insisted on sacrifice
when I asked to be removed
So I’m waiting here now quite fixed
Unlikely to ever come down
But on the upside I’m now convinced
I’ll become a saint of some renown
12. The Mother
The mother has no more tears to cry
Her child was suckled till her teat ran dry
But she knows better than to wonder why
She knows if asked you would only deny
She just waits and watches the passersby
To see if they’ll stop and realise
That it is their own nature that they defy
And she decides who lives or dies
Her child was suckled till her teat ran dry
But she knows better than to wonder why
She knows if asked you would only deny
She just waits and watches the passersby
To see if they’ll stop and realise
That it is their own nature that they defy
And she decides who lives or dies
11. The Stream
All is still within these walls
Quiet, despite the rain that falls
And I wonder if I’m meant to mourn
The weight of losses I have worn
But then the sky cuts through
And a wist of rain washes me too
And now there’s peace within these walls
I find my peace where the rain here falls
Quiet, despite the rain that falls
And I wonder if I’m meant to mourn
The weight of losses I have worn
But then the sky cuts through
And a wist of rain washes me too
And now there’s peace within these walls
I find my peace where the rain here falls
10. The Attic
It was from these windows I did see
The world play out a show for me
The shadows danced around the trees
The sun did hide for the stars to peek
And oh the flowers played their part
I watched them bud, then fall apart
All as the wind, “hooed” and “harked”
A song that called each day to start
And each day they played unrestrained
Each day they awoke to dance again
And with only this window to entertain
I wondered if they’d keep me sane
The world play out a show for me
The shadows danced around the trees
The sun did hide for the stars to peek
And oh the flowers played their part
I watched them bud, then fall apart
All as the wind, “hooed” and “harked”
A song that called each day to start
And each day they played unrestrained
Each day they awoke to dance again
And with only this window to entertain
I wondered if they’d keep me sane
9. The Serpent
I am the one whose loss
Would find no one to mourn
I’ve thought to dwell
But what for I ask
It would only just prolong
So take me now I beg you
It’s now for you I yearn
I’ve thought to ask
Well before tonight
But you never did return
Would find no one to mourn
I’ve thought to dwell
But what for I ask
It would only just prolong
So take me now I beg you
It’s now for you I yearn
I’ve thought to ask
Well before tonight
But you never did return
8. The Tapestry
I carry it with me in my skin
Each hair a thread
Each line sewn in
Each hair a thread
Each line sewn in
7. The Castle
I’ll build you a wall that’s tall and high
So your enemies need not climb
I’ll build it in stone and the blood of men
So their moans will stifle your cries
I’ll build you a moat so wide and deep
That any whom pass you by
Will stop and wonder who loved you so
That they kept you safe and dry
So your enemies need not climb
I’ll build it in stone and the blood of men
So their moans will stifle your cries
I’ll build you a moat so wide and deep
That any whom pass you by
Will stop and wonder who loved you so
That they kept you safe and dry
6. The Mirror
It was a whisper that spun her so
A lingering whistle that kept her close
And though still, she swore they moved
Her lips into a smile just as quickly removed
But then, again, she saw in her eye
A narrowing, a glower, oh nature defy!
Surely mistaken, she looked once more
At the mirror, at the girl whose resemblance she bore
This portrait was a finalist in the 2017 National Photographic Portrait Prize
A lingering whistle that kept her close
And though still, she swore they moved
Her lips into a smile just as quickly removed
But then, again, she saw in her eye
A narrowing, a glower, oh nature defy!
Surely mistaken, she looked once more
At the mirror, at the girl whose resemblance she bore
This portrait was a finalist in the 2017 National Photographic Portrait Prize
5. The Bite
In it seeps through my veins once blue
The shift of season changing hue
And when it’s past you’ll find me there
Under a quilt of autumn’s hair
My eyes will open to meet your own
And at last I’ll awake for winter’s bone
But in the spring you’ll find a new
What once was dead will come for you
The shift of season changing hue
And when it’s past you’ll find me there
Under a quilt of autumn’s hair
My eyes will open to meet your own
And at last I’ll awake for winter’s bone
But in the spring you’ll find a new
What once was dead will come for you
4. The Betrayal
The night did come in quickly
And I’ll admit I am relieved
The whispers finally dulled to sleep
For a brief moment of reprieve
Yet morning is not far away
Soon enough I’ll meet their scorn
But I beg you, please don’t ask me
Why I stayed despite the storm
And I’ll admit I am relieved
The whispers finally dulled to sleep
For a brief moment of reprieve
Yet morning is not far away
Soon enough I’ll meet their scorn
But I beg you, please don’t ask me
Why I stayed despite the storm
3. The Ritual
The thoughts arise so often
I wonder if they’ll stay
To keep this nagging hunger
A little more at bay
I awoke again this morning
To find they didn’t leave
Perhaps they knew how much
They set my mind at ease
I’m thinking of inviting them
To stay at least a year
I don’t think they’ll mind at all
If I insist that they stay near
This portrait was a semi-finalist in the 2016 Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize
I wonder if they’ll stay
To keep this nagging hunger
A little more at bay
I awoke again this morning
To find they didn’t leave
Perhaps they knew how much
They set my mind at ease
I’m thinking of inviting them
To stay at least a year
I don’t think they’ll mind at all
If I insist that they stay near
This portrait was a semi-finalist in the 2016 Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize
2. The Wedding
To fall
To surrender
To rise
To conquer
It is to love
It is to fall in love
It is to be in love with you
To surrender
To rise
To conquer
It is to love
It is to fall in love
It is to be in love with you
1. The Moon
I hope you’re lulled straight to sleep
The waves caressing at your cheek
A full moon’s light will guide your way
And assure that you don’t drift away
But should that fail, feel safe that I’ll
Stay watching you from the shore a while
The waves caressing at your cheek
A full moon’s light will guide your way
And assure that you don’t drift away
But should that fail, feel safe that I’ll
Stay watching you from the shore a while
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