An ekphrasis poem is a piece inspired by a work of art, like my poem “Lily Pads,” which was one of the three winners of the Aroma of Art poetry competition; it was based on the painting “Lily Pads” by Kitty Bryant, a truly beautiful work of art. You may see me post some inspiring works of art. Ekphrasis poetry is good exercise; I recommend any poet give it a shot!
I tear myself apart,
a million tiny pieces,
lay them in rows
and tuck them away.
Fingers sift,
contain, dissect,
detain,
others taste them,
devour them,
butcher, badger,
they don’t understand.
They swish and spit them out,
pedants.
Poke, prod, search for patterns,
arrange the pieces of me
into designs no one else can see,
or toss them into a heap—
a mountain—
a volcano—
waiting to explode.
If-
If I could-
If I had-
Oh God, if-
If I could reach you
If I could drag you down
To the hard ground
And rip at you
And claw at you
Nails scrubbing skin
Hands twisting sinew
Rend you
Pull you apart
If I could lay you down
Among the other dead
Open your ribcage up
Fish through the gore
Find the…
I read this and was blown away. This is Serious Swaim—that concept might have been unnerving, until I saw what he was posting. This is based on the Oslo shootings last July, but even before I knew what he was talking about, I realized I was catching my breath. The dude’s sentimental and he’s incredibly talented. The imagery in his piece is phenomenal; it really conveys that emotion others struggle to articulate. Well done, Swaim.
Click the link to read the poem in its entirety.
Been working on this for a while and finally had time to finish. :)
~B.P. Space Station~
Oh now, I just love this!
I look at the trees—they’re black clouds against the dim gray sky. No stars tonight, no breeze; even with the roaring engine nearby I could be the only person on Earth. There is a light from the forest; it illuminates every spider’s web that I didn’t see before. I lean closer; the intricate weave is suddenly a beauty to my eye. I sit and stare until dew settles on the delicate silk; I watch it become a galaxy, billions of twinkling celestial bodies all netted in a single entity, a universe, vulnerable to the slightest breeze, yet capable of harnessing life and destroying it all in the name of its creator. I’ve never been so close to the stars. I tend to long for things that are too far from my reach.
As one of the three winners of the Aroma of Art poetry competition in Hickory, NC, I was chosen to read my poem “Lily Pads” to the Grand Finale crowd. Yesterday was my first time reading before an audience. I really appreciated having so many people approach me afterwards and tell me how much they enjoyed my reading. My theater history helped me take the microphone with confidence, but I must admit that my hands were a little shaky afterwards. Hopefully there will be more readings in the future! The poem was based on a painting by a local artist who donated her work to the charity auction. Aroma of Art is a great program and the Grand Finale went wonderfully!
