Three Poems by Kalliope Amorphous

These three poems by Kalliope Amorphous explore how the artist grapples with identity and resilience in the spaces that follow trauma and loss. These pieces dissect the empowerment she has often found in the aftermath…

by: Kalliope Amorphous

My Language

my tongue is fluent in 
the subtle shades between 
punctuate and puncture, 
tincture and truncate,
in the clipped dialect of ghosts,
pursuant to the argot of loa,

-collapse or suffocate me,
my speech is dust 
and as incorrupt
as the bodies of saints
rosary-wrapped and bound to
the beaded word by rust

hovering in the vowels of an open gate,

my howl, filed to a sheen
and pummeled into paint,

exiled to gilt,

to gold this splinter, i

grow from corpse to coronate.

Letter To Longing

i am the return stroke 
of a lightning strike 
wailing in the theremin throat 
of your absence.

Sculptures

medium, i 
of sculpture carved by teeth,
starved down to a vulture,
absent armature beneath,

a trap door at the navel,
a mirror for a face,
glances cast in gravel,
nomenclature: graced

stature: all of the above, 
erased.

Kalliope Amorphous is a multidisciplinary artist working in several different mediums, including poetry. For over a decade, Kalliope Amorphous has explored dreamlike and surreal narratives through a diverse portfolio of fine art, portraiture, experimental photography, and conceptual art. Whether excavating the contents of her own subconscious in self-portraiture, documenting the people and environment around her, or experimenting with unique conceptual processes, Amorphous takes the viewer to a place where alienation and fragility are offset by moments of beauty. A self-taught photographer, Amorphous creates her own alternative methodologies using handmade and alternative lighting as well as experimenting with textiles, surfaces, mirrors, and in-camera distortion techniques. Much of Amorphous’s work uses reflections, blur, mirrors, and multiple exposure to lead the viewer through the artist’s favorite themes — identity, mortality, time, and consciousness.  Kalliope has received worldwide recognition for her work in creative and conceptual photography. Her photographs have been widely published and exhibited throughout the United States and internationally and her photographs are included in private collections worldwide including Spain, Romania, Germany, Holland, India, Russia, and the United States. She currently divides her time between Providence, Rhode Island and New York City.  In addition to her visual work, she is the founder and artist behind the perfume brand Black Baccara.