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 painting by Frida Kahlo entitled Self-Portrait With Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird.
Self-Portrait With Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird
Long before the camera and the selfie,
You knew the power of painting your face.
Framing your female flair and reality,
A fatalistic destiny to admire and embrace.
Frida with the thick dark eyebrow
And the finely arranged hair.
You found a unique identity somehow.
Fifty-five self-self portrait painted with flair,
My favorite the Necklace of Thorn and the hummingbird.
It’s the symbolism you decided to share,
A silent message delivered without a word.
The indifferent, evil monkey on your shoulder,
Who looks so much like Diego.
The black panther of bad luck and death a fitting stakeholder,
No other conclusion with Nicklolas’s ego.
The necklace of thorns that finalize her pain,
A hummingbird, a frantic whisper of hope
Butterflies and fireflies to say she’s rise again.
In the jungle of life, she managed to cope.
So much bodily pain and trouble in romance,
For a dark-browed lady who only desired to dance
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.
Be sure to follow Molly on Twitter!