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Thursday, April 19, 2012

Ekphrastic Poetry

I enjoy writing ekphrastic poetry; poetry that is inspired by visual art. On one of my morning walks, I took the photograph below and then wrote the poem that follows.


Color My Day

Color my day
as expansive as
a clear blue sky
as alive as
the green trees
as gentle as
a pink rose
as rich as
the golden sun
Color my day
brilliantly.

Try writing an ekphrastic poem. Find a painting, photograph, sculpture or other piece of visual art that intrigues you and see what you are inspired to write. The piece may be in a museum, a park or even in your own home. You may be drawn to describe the work, focus on a few elements of it or even have a conversation with the artist. 

I hope you find that writing ekphrastic poetry enhances both your writing and your enjoyment of the art.

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4 comments:

  1. I love this prompt! Ekphrastic poetry is a form I've often struggled with because I have too many images dancing around in my head to let one take center stage (or that's my excuse, anyway--it could also just be laziness). I will definitely give it another try!

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    Replies
    1. I hope you do give it another try, Khara. I feel a special kinship with the pieces that have inspired poems, whether they are my own photographs or works in museums and galleries.

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  2. That is a beautiful poem, and photograph. It makes me think of a peaceful and warm setting. Which is exactly where I would like to be. #jteng111

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  3. Thank you, Britany. Writing poetry made me more observant and led to the photography. Not sure it was warm that morning. It was in the fall.#jteng111

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