“IF YOUR NERVE DENY YOU…” (EMILY DICKINSON)

[On consignment with Tao Gallery, Mumbai from May 2025; please contact info@taogallery.com referencing my name and this work for serious collector queries]

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“If your Nerve, deny you—
Go above your Nerve—
He can lean against the Grave,
If he fear to swerve—

That's a steady posture—
Never any bend
Held of those Brass arms—
Best Giant made—

If your Soul seesaw—
Lift the Flesh door—
The Poltroon wants Oxygen—
Nothing more—”

from “If your Nerve, deny you,” a poem by Emily
Dickinson

I’ve loved this poem for a long time, as macabre or other-worldly as it can come off. To me, it is a clarion call to be brave even if you’re anxious or afraid. I made this piece in the aftermath of a pivot and a grand decision, and when this piece got made, this poem felt like the perfect accompaniment.

30h x 30w x 1.5d (inches); acrylic, oil pastels, charcoal on wood-backed canvas board