Dominance of Pink
Looks like the world’s imploding,
while some poor soul got shot out
of a chimney. The rest of the people
are rushing toward center. Why even
the trees seek the white-hot light.
Will we recognize the world when
the wind stops blowing, the brush in
the hand still painting acrylic?
.
Based on Painting the Pinks
**
But Not From the Dark Side
The green river is
covered with slime. Trees
are growing at an angle on
the side of the hill, where
two people on horses climb,
where there may be a path,
but I can’t see it. The wind whips
through the aforementioned trees—
green, blue, a touch of purple
looks like berries.
The beast is nowhere in the picture.
I think she might have just given
birth to wonder rather than danger.
“Nothing gold can stay,” says Frost.
Nothing here spells D-A-R-K,
nothing but slime for imagination.
.
based on Fantascape #12 – The Beast
10 comments
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April 30, 2008 at 6:55 pm
rawdawgbuffalo
she is 80 today. U know i wanted to say this a whiole back, but yawl got a lot od similar traits – i will start with passion
April 30, 2008 at 7:45 pm
helenl
Hi T., Maybe you meant to put this under the entry about Clinton and Maya Angelou. Did you mean Maya Angelou? If you did, thanks.
May 1, 2008 at 12:36 pm
unfinishedperson
For some reason, I bookmarked your page a few days ago, maybe even a week ago. Maybe you commented on one of my posts. Whatever it was, I am glad I did, because I really enjoy your poetry and look forward to reading more of it.
I would like to find a good poetry community online; there are so many bad ones out there. Maybe this will be a start for me to get back into writing, and sending out for publication, more poetry than I have been — which has been none.
Right now on my blog, I have a feature called Wordsmith Wednesday, where I share a poem or series of poems I’ve written.
May 1, 2008 at 3:55 pm
helenl
Hi Unfinished Person, Welcome to my blog. I’m a work in progress, too. I’ll add you to my blogroll and take a look at your blog.
May 2, 2008 at 2:14 am
Miki
Good Morning Helen!
I am very happy and deeply honored and extremely excited about you poetry inspired by my paintings. As I said in my blog, it is wonderful way of direct communication from soul to soul, isn’t it?
You have a great talent in “feeling” my art, and this is far beyond any usual art understanding… your poems are in fact an extension of my art, a continuous transition from colors to words… B E A U T I F U L !
May 2, 2008 at 9:39 am
helenl
Hi Miki, I have always found that using color words in poems works very well for me. I guess that helps in writing about your pictures because they explode with color.
Your choice of color is what attracts me to your pictures, but as I look at them I see so much more. Your color is always a part of your subject, or so it seems to me, not simply another element. You change the color of natural objects in a way that leads the imagination, but you don’t go too far. There is no “what on earth is this?” quality that some modern art has. I hate that kind of art. I have no problem with someone painting a red square 6′ by 6′ and putting two blue dots in the upper left hand corner, but I don’t want to look at it for more than about ten seconds. Your art has dimension as well as color and subject, so that I can walk into it and experience it. Your balance and object placement is so “on.” You move the focal point around from painting to painting. No ruts here.
I had one class in art appreciation – “back in the day.” But I am mostly self-taught as to how to appreciate art. In an art gallery, texture is very important to me, but I can’t sense that much over the internet. One thing real artists seem to stress is that no one has to like everything. I like art that “speaks” to me.
After I realized that my comments to you were poems, I stopped writing directly into your comment box. I bring up my word processor and put your painting on the screen so I can see it as I write. These poems come quickly, like found poems. I’m glad you’re enjoying this, too. The internet can bring people together who would never meet otherwise. I love your “direct communication from soul to soul.” That’s exactly what it is.
May 2, 2008 at 10:35 am
unfinishedperson
Thanks for getting back to me and adding me to your blogroll. I will do likewise.
I also wanted to say I enjoy your comments on the connections between faith and writing with thoughts from Henri Nouwen and Thomas Merton. As a Southern writer, which I assume you are from reading a little bit here, do you like Flannery O’Connor? While I’m not a Southern writer, even though my mother is from North Carolina, I always enjoyed O’Connor’s take on writing — and even before I became Catholic like she did. Regardless, though of the faith tradition, I think she captures the struggle of the connections between faith and writing.
May 2, 2008 at 11:22 am
helenl
Hi Unfinished Person, I live in North Carolina. I like Flannery O’Connor, but must admit, I haven’t read that much of her work. I’m not Catholic but see lots of things about Catholicism that attract me – much in the worship tone and setting. The one aspect that doesn’t attract me is that the Eucharist is closed to other Christians. No questions as to what the person believes, just closed. I won’t be party to that slap in the face given to brothers and sisters and endorsed by doctrine and Pope.
I think one’s faith sets the tone for life and, thus, is ingrained in one’s writing. Being a Christian defines who you are. It think Jesus loves everyone. Jesus sets us free to explore God’s world and all of it aspects.
May 2, 2008 at 2:18 pm
unfinishedperson
As a Catholic convert, I understand where you’re coming from and I had similar concerns about the Eucharist before I came into the Church. To explain why I changed my mind and converted is a whole other story that is longer than a comment and far afield from the original post, on which the comments were intended. However, I believe you have my e-mail if you’d like to discuss further. If not, that’s okay too. I am still putting your blog in my Google Reader and checking it out.
Regardless of that whole “Catholic/Protestant” discussion, your point, about one’s faith setting the tone for life resonates with me as does your comment about being a Christian defines who we are. It does, or at least, it should if we call ourselves, or if we are, followers of Christ. And I agree about Jesus setting us free to explore God’s world and all of its aspect. It’s the nature of free will.
Anyway, this comment already is longer than I wanted, but the short of this is I look forward to checking out your blog more in the future and reading more of your poetry.
May 2, 2008 at 2:36 pm
helenl
Hi Unfinished Person,
Don’t worry about the length of your comment. I don’t. And as your conversion story, tell it here if you want, and I’ll e-mail you, if you’d rather do that. Or both. I am very open to people telling their own stories, even if those stories are not at all like mine. I just don’t like people putting other people down. Differing with someone’s beliefs is world away from believing someone doesn’t have the right to his/her own mind.
I’ll try to post another poem soon. Most of my published poems are somewhere in the blog archives.