Amy Gillies
They do not remember when they forgot
how to look at people, a place, or an object
and see a memoir woven into its fabric
the story of its past lives
No, in this quiet suburban town
every action or sentence spoken is its own, separate entity
It is devoid of history or meaning
Perhaps it was a natural phenomenon
A mass forgetting
and the erasure of cultural memory
When we decided that words do not matter
They cannot puncture skin
and they do to travel across time
The past has no living consciousness
It is no longer our concern
so why do you keep mentioning it?
In 2019, Amy completed an MFA in Fine Art from Kingston School of Art, where she had studied a BA Hons in Fine Art and Art History previously. Since graduating, Amy has taken part in the Artists in Residence programme at One Paved Court in Richmond and has exhibited and performed in several group exhibitions including The London Art Grads Now 2021 at Saatchi Gallery. Her work has been published in Secret Chords: A Poetry Anthology of the Best of Folklore Prize, Alternate Route and The Jupiter Review.