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 artwork. This Ekphrastic poem is based on a poster painting by David Mann entitled 50. I call the poem Road Demons. I write it from experience.
Road Demons
Every biker knows in their heart,
There be demons on the road.
Some trips are cursed from the start,
Bad luck is programed into the biker’s code.
A break down in the middle of the night,
On some deserted country lane.
A spot where there isn’t much light,
As the moon over head waxes and wanes.
There is always a know-it-all brother,
With limited mechanical skills.
Who eggs you on like a demented den mother,
While the wind cuts through your leather and chills
Your hands as they wrench the clutch cable.
The old lady nags because you should have known better,
Then to take to the road when the bike wasn’t stable.
There are a few facts of life you’d like to tell her,
The first being everyone reaps what they sowed,
And you need a beer to calm your nerve.
There be demons on the road
And no way to predict what’s around the next curve.
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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