Lo Kidd
Lo Kidd
Jul 21, 2017 · 2 min read

Published on NULLAblog

Tish Murtha, Untitled from Youth Unemployment (1981)

Three — two boys and their sister — behind the mold-grow homes, under the white afternoon sky. The younger of the boys pulls his pants by the hips, a possible glimpse of ankle. A line of thick brick under his feet. He hollers to his brother’s back, again being told: stay put.

The oldest shifts to a silhouette of shoulder and legs in the settling blur. His feet appearing, then reappearing in his focus over the gravel. A half-filled cigarette carton, a black ink pen, an earring-back. A table he lit burns to his left.

Sitting in a supine chair, the girl wears a trench with all its buttons unbuttoned. The tip of a lamp spine drags through dust in her delicately-held hand, fingertips loosely curled, wrist slightly crooked. Her face like closed blinds. The flames heats her neck, drying the skin. Her torso leans forward as her legs bend, then tuck beneath her.

The youngest balances the length of the remaining foundation to hunch over her. His humid breath on her ear. A design of staggering loops and pulls imprinted then erased while the older boy continues his graze.

Read other poems and essays on NULLAblog

Commentary on the Photograph: Tish’s work continues to capture the abandonment by the privileged toward those who are oppressed by poverty and lacking an applicable education.

)

Written by

Lo Kidd

Feminist. Creative Writing Major. Self-Proclaimed Film Critic. Fashion Freak. Art Enthusiast.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade