On First Seeing Merlin James at the Douglas Hyde

On First Seeing Merlin James at the Douglas Hyde audio

This is an audio recording of one of only two ekphrastic poems written by Patrick Stack, and was made by the poet at his home on 18 April 2020. The poem was composed for the most part while sitting entranced in front of a painting by Welsh-born artist, Merlin James, hanging in the Douglas Hyde Gallery, Trinity College, Dublin in February 2012. Stack has never heard of Merlin James and had only dropped into the gallery to kill time while waiting for his son. He also neglected to note the title of the painting and is still in the dark regarding the same.
The poem was published in his first collection, The Parting (Amethyst Dragon, 2013).