The Poetry Wheel

Color Wheel by Pre-School Daze.com via Google Images

Poetry bleeds red,
surges from the womb,
trickles down the page.
Words pool at your feet.

Poetry skulks black,
struggles in dark corners,
slithers in the night.
Words labor to console.

Poetry flows blue,
springs from barren deserts,
saturates the leaves.
Words quench dying thirst.

Poetry glows gold,
gentle penetration,
fills these empty pages.
Words satiate desire.

Poetry blushes wine,
emanating spirit,
kneads the tired soul,
lifts from weariness.

Poetry sprouts green,
nourishes understanding,
words hard to digest,
unlocking limitations.

Poetry throbs orange,
explodes upon the tongue,
demands to be set free—
words forged in searing fire.

Poetry scours white,
purifies the meaning.
Freshest words that breathe,
borne upon the breeze.

I’m happy to link this to dVerse Open Link Night where talented poets from all over the globe submit their poetry of choice. We welcome newcomers, whether you simply want to browse or, hopefully, bring a poem of your own to share. The “pub” opens Tuesday at 1500 EDT.

Canvas

I’m “tending bar” today over at dVerse Poet’s Pub where the theme for the prompt is symbolism. I hope you’ll join us! My challenge to you is to share a symbolic poem of your own and leave a comment here, as well, letting me know what the painting and poem symbolizes to you. This is expressionistic art, which, by definition, seeks to express emotion or to elicit an emotional response. Thank you.

Credit: Image from Google, en.arthoffer.com-the Artist’s website and name was not available.

Canvas

A stretch of white.
You scrape a knife
through black, then indigo,
layer darkness,
across the horizon.
Reach for a tube of
chestnut brown,
squeeze the contents
onto the lower half
and smear.
Payne’s grey sky.
A slash of crimson,
a miniscule orb
in orange.

Non Sequitur

Iron for Man Ray (Photo credit: Pickersgill Reef)

Allons-y! A little dip into the pool of avant-garde art, Da-Da, surrealism et n’import de quoi for our journey into the world of French culture as nous célébrons le Quatorze Juillet! Bring out les pétards!

Non-Sequitur

Breaking News,

English: PolyNeon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Circa 1920-something,
Paris, France:

BASTARD CHILD OF DADA
EMERGES
REVOLTING!

anti-art,
revolting.

ManRay had lunch today
with Reverdy.
“Create a juxtaposition
of two more or less distant
realities.”

Je t’aime.
Je t’en prie.
Je t’attends,
l’anarchie.
Mr. Magrite,
viens ici.

Breaking News,
Circa 2020-something,
wherever:

THIS WORLD IS STILL
CONTINUOUSLY
CONFUSING TO ME.

Join us at dVerse Poetics, hosted by la belle Manicddaily, Karin Gustafson. We will have fun!

Painting Life–Poetry Potluck

Image via Wikipedia

Painting Life

Were you to draw this life in black and white,
the lines would then be hard and not forgive—
no subtle shades to ease the journey’s plight.

With color’s tones and even tones of gray
the world assumes her nuances of grace—
the lights and shadows of our every day.

So you surrender paint and page and hand
unto the artful muse who lurks inside,
allowing her to guide your thought and pen.

You smear the brightest orange with yellow
taste the sweet scent of the fair Scotch Broom
and forge in black the loamy earth below.

Now play with texture to confuse one’s sense
and add perspective, draw the viewer in.
Create illusion to obscure pretense.

You will take risks when you engage in art,
allow your soul to bleed on canvas bare.
Be sure you understand this ere you start.

Submitted to Jingle’s Poetry Potluck where the theme for this week is ART!  http://jinglepoetry.blogspot.com

Monday Morning Writing Prompt–the Artist in You

Image: Kindness of Anna Cervova

One of the things that I marvel at during this time of the year is the abundance of color that adorns nature. Summer makes me want to grab my paints and portable easel and drag myself out into nature to capture the moment. It seems I rarely do, perhaps because of inconvenience or downright laziness, but I often pull out my palette of words and pen down some colorful poetry.

For today’s prompt, I’d like to you put on the mind, if not the smock of an artist and paint a word picture, lavishing color, shape, perspective, texture, mood–whatever artistic tool speaks to you.

Please link your masterpiece in the comment section of this blog and remember, I don’t believe in deadlines for these prompts, so do it whenever you can and have fun with it. And if you are a visual artist and care to share your work, have at it!

You may have already seen this poem…I think I posted it a while back:

The State of Color 

When blue ripped a hole

in gray clouds,

the trumpet vine blared

blasts of yellow

and orange poppies

from the Orient

stretched wide

thirsty maws,

to consume rainbows

of dew.

 

Painting Life–Poetry Potluck

Image via Wikipedia

Linked to Jingle’s Poetry Potluck where this week’s theme is sketches, images, impressions: http://jinglepoetry.blogspot.com/

Painting Life

a Rhyming Tercet

Were you to draw this life in black and white,
the lines would then be hard and unforgiving—
no subtle shades to ease the journey’s plight.

With color’s tones and even shades of gray
the world assumes her nuances of beauty—
the lights and shadows of our every day.

So you surrender paint and page and hand
unto the artful muse who lurks inside you,
allowing her to guide you thought and pen.

You smear the color orange and then the yellow
to taste the sweet scent of the Scottish Broom
and forge in black the loamy earth below.

Now play with texture to confuse the senses
and add perspective, draw the viewer in.
Create illusion to obscure pretenses.

You will take risks when you engage in art,
allow your soul to bleed on canvas bare.
Be sure you understand this ere you start.

Photo: Max Wehlte

Revelation–Poetry Potluck’s Theme of Art, Music and Poetry

D. Slotto 4/2011

Image by ozgurmulazimoglu via Flickr

D. Slotto 4/2011

Submitted to Poetry Potluck: http://jinglepoetry.blogspot.com/ and

Monday Morning Writing Prompt: http://liv2write2day.wordpress.com/2011/04/24/monday-morning-writing-prompt-dream-symbolism/

Revelation

Last night as I slept
the Artist came and dabbed Oleander’s
green with brilliant buds of pink
then feathered white across
a chosen hummingbird.

Last night as I slept
the Violinist played, sweeping
his bow across the fronds of palms.
Music hummed in branches of Crepe Myrtle,
sprinkling her blossoms all across the Earth.

Last night as I slept
the Poet tossed his words into the water,
ripples bore their beauty
all across the world so sere,
so desperate for salvation.

This morning I awoke
to colors of joy,
to sounds of grace,
to possibilities of peace.

This week the Oleanders blossomed overnight, the winds howled, and a striking albino hummingbird has graced us with his presence. Happy Easter to all.

Presence–Poetry Potluck

Photo: David Slotto

Presence

Awakening early in the dawn to the sound of birds;
Easing into daylight, sitting without words;

Coffee slipping down my throat, stirring up my senses;
Fragrant sweet peas opening in rows along the fences;

Dogs that snuggle up to me, waiting for a treat;
Music soaring through my veins, ramping up the beat;

Colors dancing in a field, or posed upon my palette;
Freedom to express my self, to choose and cast a ballot;

Words that tumble through my mind, ending up on pages;
Touches soft as satin, that calm when discord rages;

Life is measured out to me in gifts that this day brings;
The gifting of each moment lies in ordinary things.

Submitted to Jingle Poetry Potluck: http://jinglepoetry.blogspot.com/ This week’s theme is a few of my favorite things.

Poetry Potluck–”Art and Environment”

Image via Wikipedia

This poem is submitted to Poetry Potluck. The theme was buildings, landmarks, monuments. I have chosen the Nevada Museum of Art, where I am privileged to be a docent. 

Art and Environment
A Mirror Cinquain

Merging
form and function,
art and architecture—
Nevada Museum of Art,
Black Rock.

Black Rock—
desert wilderness, holy ground,
fertile, arid playa,
Burning Man Art,
wasteland?

The design of Nevada Museum of Art was inspired by the nearby Black Rock Desert. The museum focuses its mission on the influence of humans on the environment and is home to the Center for Arts and Environment. The museum’s mission guides the staff in its selection of art for exhibition and for acquisition. Check on the link to NMA to see images of the museum.

 Each year, on Labor Day Weekend (the first weekend in September), the Black Rock Desert is host into a counter-cultural, artistic community known as Burning Man.  The festival’s attendees number between 45,000 to 50,000 people, transforming it for a short period of time into the 3rd largest city in Nevada.

The form for a mirror cinquain is as follows (in syllables):
2
4
6
8
2

2
8
6
4
2

Jingle’s Poetry Rally–”Sunrise on a Plane”

Image via Wikipedia

Sunrise on a Plane

At earth’s black edge
an artist applies a wash of
orange—wet on wet,
teases color from the center,
adds more water then
works in a pale shade
of blue.

Submitted to Jingle’s Poetry Rally Week 32

http://jingleyanqiu.wordpress.com/