Tag Archives: ekphrastic poetry

by Luanne | August 29, 2023 · 5:15 am

Impressionistic #TankaTuesday

This week’s #TankaTuesday by Colleen Chesebro is to write an ekphrastic syllabic poem inspired by a Berthe Morisot painting shared by Rebecca Budd on her blog Chasing Art. The painting is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eug%C3%A8ne_Manet_on_the_Isle_of_Wight.

This Impressionist painting is in a French museum. I grew up going to the Art Institute in Chicago several times a year. While I’ve seen amazing Impressionist paintings at the Louvre and at the Courtauld in London, the Art Institute also has a gorgeous collection. My favorite painting there is by Caillebotte. Impressionism used to be my favorite style. Now my taste leans more toward Surrealism and Symbolism. Since I have been immersing myself in Surrealism by writing ekphrastic stories inspired by Remedios Varo, I really needed to zap myself into a different mentality first. So I ate some Ruffles and French onion dip. Get it? French chip dip, French painting.

I decided to write a tanka about the man in the painting who is the husband of the painter. I discovered that he was a painter himself, and the brother of the more famous Manet. He apparently was very supportive of his wife’s career as well as that of his brother. I found that to be very inspiring, especially since I am reading a novel about Varo’s life and how the male Surrealists treated the female painters. Not as colleagues.

Topic: Supportive Husband

My view is lovely

from our holiday quarters.

Better is this man

who places his career last

after his brother and moi.

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Filed under #AmWriting, #writerlife, #writerslife, Poetry, Writing, Writing prompt

Tagged as #amwriting, #TankaTuesday, Creative writing, ekphrastic poetry, tanka, Writing

by Luanne | July 25, 2023 · 5:15 am

Ekphrastic Tanka and Ekphrastic Microfiction:#TankaTuesday

We’re here at #TankaTuesday again! Colleen Chesebro’s prompt this week is to write an ekphrastic poem about this painting.

I am rushed for time, so I wrote a tanka since I feel familiar with the form.

This summer Sunday

lie upon the riverbank

and observe movements

of waterfowl and fishers,

neighbor’s herd and young lovers.

I have a creepy ekphrastic timed (one hour max) microfiction piece up at Visual Verse. If you like creepy in small doses, here is the link and the image that inspired the story:

The Kindness of Strangers

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Tagged as #poetrycommunity, #TankaTuesday, Colleen Chesebro, ekphrastic microfiction, ekphrastic poetry, Poetry, Visual Verse, Word Craft

by Luanne | June 26, 2023 · 7:55 pm

Syllabic Synonyms: #TankaTuesday

Colleen at Wordcraft poetry suggested writing a syllabic poem using synonyms for the words OPEN and CLOSE.

When the sun unfurls

in the rosy morning sky

the owl shuts her eyes.

In my haiku I used unfurl as a synonym of open and shut as a synonym for close.

Speaking of animals I have a cat poem in a new anthology of ekphrastic poetry published by Moonstone Press. It can be purchased here if you like ekphrastic poetry. https://moonstone-arts-center.square.site/product/ekphrastic-poetry/423

By David Ryckaert III – Web Gallery of Art: Image Info about artwork, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15541707

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Filed under #amwriting, #poetrycommunity, #poetswithcats, #TankaTuesday, #writingcommunity, Cats and Other Animals, Poetry, Poetry book, Poetry Collection, Writing, Writing prompt

Tagged as #poetrycommunity, cats, ekphrastic poetry, Haiku, owl, Poetry, poetry books, synonyms

by Luanne | June 20, 2023 · 7:33 am

Meditation on Art: #TankaTuesday

Colleen at Wordcraft poetry suggested writing a syllabic poem inspired by an art meditation video posted by Rebecca Budd on her chasing art.com website. https://chasingart.com/2023/06/02/the-national-gallery-5-minute-guided-meditation/

You see a cup on a pewter dish and a thornless rose. Actually the rose looks like more of a fantasy rose whereas the cup and dish are realistic. I found watching the video to be an amazing experience.

I wrote a haibun.

The Realism of Winter, The Fantasy of Spring

In this portrait of a cup of water, I find my mind focusing on the slivers of light on pewter and pottery. I have to be directed to see the large shadow on our right that is so obvious once pointed out. Then I note its power. The water looks refreshing enough to dive into if only I could make myself smaller like Alice. In fact, I feel myself becoming both smaller as the scene looms bigger in front of me and also larger as the space in my mind that this painting inhabits grows. Eventually I have to recognize the two aspects that poke at me, pay attention to me, they say. One is the fantasy flower with petals so curvy they could be dying or so unreal as not to include thorns. The other is the handles of the cup are misshapen. They don’t match, and only a child’s fingers could enter their spaces. Only a fantasy child like Alice.

Shadows of winter

once greeted bring forth treasures

of fantastic spring.

###

My girl Kana is the Box Queen. She is the one of my five cats who finds a box or bag the minute it enters the house. The other day she went one better. I set a buckled belt I am using for an exercise on the couch. When I turned back to it she had climbed in it.

On another note, I had a banner/header made with my two full-length poetry books and my two chapbooks made by someone who knows what they are doing because I clearly don’t. It’s for this blog and my social media. What do you think?

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Tagged as #poetrycommunity, Alice in Wonderland, art meditation, ekphrastic poetry, haibun, Poetry, poetry books, seasons

by Luanne | June 5, 2023 · 9:48 pm

Orange as a Dragonfly: #TankaTuesday

Colleen at Wordcraft poetry suggested writing a syllabic poem about a color using a word from a color chart she provided. I chose orange because it is close to my favorite color which is coral. For a word I chose joy.

Last year I posted a photo I took of one of our gorgeous Arizona Flame Skimmers, or orange dragonflies. This beauty is my inspiration.

Here is my tanka:

On a day of cares,

when the water heater leaks

and I am in pain,

I step outside and notice

with joy orange fairy wings.

###

The following photo is a closeup from the free photo library.

The journal The Ekphrastic Review hosts an Ekphrastic (writing inspired by a work of art) Challenge every two weeks. Here is a poem I wrote to one awhile back. The link will take you to a sample of the art by Manuel Espinoza, though not the actual piece I used. https://www.ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrastic-challenges/manuel-Espinosa-ekphrastic-writing-responses

So from joy to violence. But luckily joy is right outside my door because the Arizona air practically vibrates with dragonflies and hummingbirds.

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Filed under #amwriting, #poetrycommunity, #TankaTuesday, #writingcommunity, Arizona, Cats and Other Animals, Flora, Garden, and Landscape, Poetry, Writing, Writing prompt

Tagged as #TankaTuesday, dragonfly, ekphrastic poetry, flame skimmer, Manuel Espinozaa, Poetry

by Luanne | February 22, 2023 · 12:20 pm

An Ekphrastic #TankaTuesday

This week’s prompt from Colleen Chesebro’s https://wordcraftpoetry.com/2023/02/21/tankatuesday-ekphrastic-poetry-challenge-no-308-2-21-23/ is to write an ekphrastic poem about the following Singer Sargent portrait. The whole idea of #TankaTuesday is to write a syllabic poem according to prompt. Syllabic poems are quite different from what I usually write. They are formed by certain patterns of syllables.

By John Singer Sargent – Own work by Ad Meskens., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29347966

I love that Colleen wrote: “REMEMBER… don’t just describe the woman… we can all see her. Like all of us, this woman has a story. Write THAT poem….” I have been working on my ekphrastic poems, as well as syllabic, so this was a fun exercise. I chose to write a Reverse Cinquain. And, I’m sorry if this seems like a strange response, but all I could think about once I put myself into the woman herself is how uncomfortable I feel wearing this outfit. Then, my second thought was, but I sure feel beautiful (and I can’t wait to unhook my bra and the spanx and take off my shoes, etc.).

BEAUTIFUL PRISON

My dress

itches my breasts,

my corset produces

heartburn, this beauty I strive for

tortures.

This dress

my dressmaker created from

lavender gossamer

soothes mind but not

body.

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