Art: Clyfford Still, on Pinterest
Depression is Anger Turned Inside-Out
A Narrative Poem
She hadn’t touched her paints for a while. In the other room an unfinished canvas lay propped on an easel. Orange and cerulean blue paint danced in cacophonous colors and screamed at her in taunting ecstasy. One evening she’d smeared a palette knife of black paint in a thick wavy line down the middle of the canvas—the result only heightened the drama. She abandoned her work for now—she couldn’t paint and wouldn’t write—not since he told her he wouldn’t see her anymore.
Today, dVerse Poets, hosted by Frank Hubney, invites us to submit a narrative poem–as I see it, a bit of prose that is written poetically. That implies incorporating poetic elements such as metaphor and sensory details, active verbs etc. This is a tiny piece that I adapted from my novel “The Sin of His Father.”
Victoria C. Slotto, Author 
Beautiful writing – and oh, that last line packed a punch!
LikeLike
…darkness and depression….in the midst of cacophonous colors. The abandonment of creativity or the drowning of it — depression erases the individual into all colors mixed to a dark nothingness.
A powerful read.
LikeLike
Wow, so much emotion in so few words! Beautifully written, Victoria. And it makes me want to know so much more about her….
LikeLike
Darkness and depression can kill our muse and artistic thoughts ~ Good one Victoria ~
LikeLike
not least do I love the title of this poem and the black streak in an unfinished canvas – there is hope hidden here
LikeLike
The imagery is outstanding in this, Victoria! Even the dark undertones add “color’ to it. Well penned, my friend!
LikeLike
Painting is such good therapy. Just finished painting with my granddaughters.
LikeLike
Strong, emotive art…you paint with words, Victoria.
LikeLike
“Depression is anger turned inside out” … Ah yes, how true. Grief has a way of stifling our artistic muse. You’ve depicted that well.
LikeLike
Expertly done. Sometimes, depression is indeed anger turned inside-out.
Kind regards
Anna :o]
LikeLike
It’s almost the cutting off your nose to spite your face syndrome. Full of brittle emotion.
LikeLike
A powerful piece, Victoria! I love the way you have used colours to express emotions, particularly the phrase ‘cacophonous colors’ and ‘One evening she’d smeared a palette knife of black paint in a thick wavy line down the middle of the canvas’.
LikeLike
This I remember from reading your book.. that black in the canvas is a stark metaphor for her state of mind in the limbo of an almost broken relationship
LikeLike
I liked the definition of depression in the title. The smeared black paint was explained by the broken relationship at the very end.
LikeLike