April sunshine has given me the courage to take on the challenge of writing Ekphrastic poems. I have never attempted to translate the emotion from paintings, drawings, sculptures, or other visual works of art into words. The challenge will require me to dig deep to tap into the passions such works of art create inside a person. Most of what I write will be speculative. There will be times when I will place myself into the mind of the artist. Still other times, I will express the emotions I experience gazing at the work of art. If I get creative, I might even tell the story from an element within the work of art. I start my Ekphrastic poems with Van Gogh’s Starry Night. I called it Passionate Reflections on a Starry Night.
Passionate Reflections on a Starry Night
I don’t know why they should be surprised to hear
That a man who created the passion of a starry night
And painted the stars in yellows twinkling and bright
Would have the courage to cut off his left ear
Swish, swash the deed done
Swipe and wipe swirled and spun
Under the watchful eye of a bright half-moon
While the village below slumbered and snored
I did the deed that polite society never ignored
The stars as my witness did tremble and swoon
Swish, swash the deed done
Swipe and wipe swirled and spun
It might have been the illness spinning like a top in my head
Or that bastard Gauguin who sparked the flame
Maybe the stars in the sky should share the blame
That produced the bloody prize I lay on sweet Gabrielle’s bed
Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh. To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.
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Yes, Van Gogh should have gone to see a psychiatrist. He shouldn’t have hang out with Gauguin. Much as we love to enjoy friendship, we often ignore the fact that an unsuitable friend is no good for us. But we are only human and our experience is limited by our environment. Sigh…