Sometimes you need a push, a big one, not a nudge.
After a week of online writing classes, two (what was I thinking?), I felt drained, ready to throw the pen, shut the laptop down.
I needed to get still for a day, shut out the noise on the TV and my head.
If you’re lucky, it’s in those times when the universe, sends you messages and you listen.
The first message was a quote from Stephen King:
Writers and writing
I shared the quote on the closed Facebook group for the writers online class. If I felt like I couldn’t go on, I was sure others might feel that way, too. Many did.
The second quote came from a manifesto written by Courtney E. Martin. I read this article today, by Maria Popova, in her weekly Sunday newsletter, the wonderful Brain Pickings. Go to her site to read her inspiring post.
The poster is available through Etsy with proceeds benefiting Hedgebrook, a writers residency program. On Popova’s site, there are three different illustrations with links to purchase a framed poster.
Story. Photo by Rossyyme, flickr.com creative commons
In the spirit of poetry month, I thought I’d make a poem for this week’s post. Last year, I celebrated the month with the post Late To The Poetry Party, offering a poem and several links to other poets (who actually submit poems and win honors).
Have you ever heard a term that sounded so odd you wanted to blurt, “Say what?”
That’s how I felt when I first heard of Ekphrastic poetry but I didn’t ask the question out loud. First, my mind and tongue tried to wrap itself around the weird word. Second, maybe I didn’t want to hear the definition; sounded like a cutting word.
I heard the word from my writing mentor, Fred Arroyo, who participated in this interesting workshop:
“PINTURA : PALABRA, a project in ekphrasis” is a multi-year initiative that encourages new Latino writing inspired by art, above all a Smithsonian American Art Museum traveling exhibit titled Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art. Aspects of this initiative include ekphrastic writing workshops; inviting writers to engage with the exhibit; and partnering with literary journals to publish portfolios of ekphrastic writing. The exhibit debuted in Washington, D.C. in 2013 and concludes its tour in Sioux City, Iowa in 2017.
An ekphrastic poem is a vivid description of a scene or, more commonly, a work of art. Through the imaginative act of narrating and reflecting on the “action” of a painting or sculpture, the poet may amplify and expand its meaning.
Now, whenever I go to a museum or see a lovely piece of photography, my creative juices begin squirting and sometimes land on something I like.
This is a photo which mesmerized me for a few minutes. A story followed.
Photo of Monastery by Helmut Tobies, unsplash.com/creative commons
In another time,
another place
sunlight danced on the shoulders
of forbidden lovers
pressed against columns
moist with passion
beneath arches,
a canopy to cover scandal,
the joyful
sighs of love.
Her velvet gown
crushed by nubby wool
of a friar’s frock,
surrounded by scents of jasmine
and aromatic oils.
More than one great romance
glowed in the shadows
of the setting sun
in another century, in another monastery.
The photo connected with me, perhaps because I love architecture, medieval times, and television shows like “Reign.”
I find that Ekphrastic poetry is a good way to stimulate creativity and can serve as a writing prompt. Many times I need something to propel me to start writing, especially if I’m revising (which is most of the time).
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