Because I am an overachiever, I decided to extend my Ekphrastic poems into the month of May. 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 Winslow Homer entitled Boys in a Pasture.
Boys in a Pasture
There are days made for dreaming
About a creek filled with fish
While work is left
Undone in the barn,
Fleeting thoughts of a girl with sandy hair
And eyes the color of the sky.
The warmth of the sun on young faces
Toes without the restriction of shoes
The question of arithmetic, reading, and writing
Tucked far, far away in the future.
Yes, it is nice to dream in a pasture
On a warm summer day.
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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This is so beautiful. I grew up this way.