‘VERITY’ is the name given to a stainless steel and bronze statue created by Damien Hirst, the English artist, entrepreneur, and art collector. He is the most prominent member of the group known as the Young British Artists, who dominated the art scene in the UK during the 1990s.
The 20.25-metre tall sculpture stands on the pier at the entrance to the harbour in Ilfracombe, Devon, looking out over the Bristol Channel towards South Wales. Hirst lives close to the town. He describes his work as a “modern allegory of truth and justice”. The statue depicts a pregnant woman holding aloft a sword while carrying the scales of justice and standing on a pile of law books. Half of the sculpture shows the internal anatomy of the pregnant woman, with the foetus clearly visible. (adapted from Wikipedia)
VERITY
Pregnant,
Opened up, exposed,
Exhibit Number One
I am birth corroborated,
Prying eyes sated,
Privacy crushed
Paraded for the populace
To ponder,
To pity
They ogle,
Excoriate,
Turn witty
Solicitudes are rare;
Their taunts I bear;
Reproofs I must abide
And yet, I am the truth
About how it is
To be free
My brandished threat
Repays the debt
My innocence holds
My stance, defiance,
Thwarts compliance,
Demands a voice
But to keep hope alive,
Live long, survive,
I must be exposed
Must confront
The brutal sea,
The relentless incoming tide
No chance repose;
What end my woes;
Torment inside
My frightened stare
Torches the tides,
Seeking solace
Whilst emblazoned in light
Against the torrid sky
The world gawps
I must bear
The stares
And cry
I am torn apart;
My pain is there
For all to see.
In a world that demands
To know,
To know everything
The truth is there
For all to see,
To verify that I
Am VERITY
Poem by WHB . . . 2015 Copyright
Roland's Ragbag 