Poetry Together

             Renée LaTulippe at No Water River hosts Poetry Friday today with a wonderful sharing about Michelle Heidenrich Barnes, her "brain children", Today's Little Ditty anthologies and two lovely poems. Thanks, Renée!

          I hope it's time for this picture! Spring is only a few weeks away!

           It's been a joy to travel the moods of February with all the poets writing, writing and writing each day for Laura Shovan's 6th Annual Daily Poem Project, this year it was an ekphrasis challenge. Each poet who signed to join the group also chose one day on which to share a personal piece of art.  From postcards to Pantone color names, from sounds to found objects, every year, the challenge is a new way to find/discover/write poems. The sometimes intimidating factors of, yet most often the wonder of Laura's project is to read and love and learn from all the other poets. If you want to know more, go here to Laura's post about how it works. Thanks to Laura and Kip Rechea, her friend, who help manage everything.

          We did seven days of warm-up. I missed one. Then, while we were still "meeting" others, and greeting those we'd written with before, February began. Altogether, I've written thirty-four poems. And, there is an 'afterword' for those who wish to continue writing together. I wrote fast some days, eked out words I might forget on other days. But sometimes a piece of art connected, and sometimes that piece of art surprised me that it connected. But also, whether anyone else liked what I wrote, I did. The lesson has been learned before, and now again, words by Cyril Connolly: "Better to write for yourself and have no public than write for the public and have no self." 

            Here are three favorites, both in the writing and how they turned out. Sometimes that's a surprise, too! One I added the poem to the picture, but the others don't work so well, too many words to fit! 

The Yearning - from fabric art by Jessica Bigi

Shadowed and alone in the forest,

a unicorn watched, 

saw the shepherdess’ fuss over her flock

and decided she wanted it, too.

She stepped out to join the story.

Linda Baie

Christie Wyman

 - gorilla with a baby on her back

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 

Gorilla Carving, unknown artist

Grief - a lai

Men arrive this day,

a cry sounds - “get away”,

fright.

No longer will they stay,

their home in disarray,

blight

Baby called from play,

on Mama’s back she’ll stay,

flight.

Linda Baie

Unfinished self-portrait by Jay Shovan - shared by Laura Shovan

Now Finished

First, my parents applied the colors.

Each year, they varied while the nanny

took her turn, then my preschool teacher,

a sister, the next-door neighbor, kids

on the block. Sometimes the paints merged;

smeared on by friends, a few enemies in

my elementary and middle schools.

One light and tender blush appeared after

my first love; in and out relationships

cast tints both bright and dim. Teachers, coaches,

counselors, my boss, parents again blended hues

until face and neck were covered, except for my ears.

I closed my eyes, ignored the mask,

listened to words I knew to be me.

Linda Baie

             Later, Laura shared that Jay had completed this work of art. Here is that picture, days after we had all written.