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. This Ekphrastic poem is based on a painting by Edgar Degas entitled Dancers in Pink.
Dancers in Pink
Dazzling Dancers in tarlatan of Pink
Dark haired beauties stamped in ink.
Pirouette on my window curtain
My childish imagination is almost certain,
They waltzed in the boisterous breeze.
My window is open to let in the summer air
Sleepy eyes half closed to block out the glare
A full-moon hovers in the night sky
Restless feet tucked under the sheet want to fly
While the brilliant ballerina’s arabesque on my windowsill.
The wind picks up at the storm’s approach.
Across the wall scurries a frightened cockroach
Lightning flashes and the rumble of thunder rolls
Sending the curtains moving without any controls
The dancers in pink continue to dance.
In my dreams I vanished
From all that is tawdry and tarnished
The summer storm and the heat
And my clumsy childish feet
Joined with the dancers on their dusty stage.
Who is Molly Shea?
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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