Poetry Monthly

There was such a range of gorgeous surreal poetry in May! Elements of surprise were carefully weaved in to your slant and unexpected creations. Here’s a trio that shone:

Three Shakespearian witches (or was it siblings?) A fiery, spitting paced piece:

http://www.abctales.com/story/linda-wigzell-cress/blasted-heath-poetry-monthly

A surreal wander through a dreamscape:

http://www.abctales.com/story/pat-g/imperative-poetry-monthly

The footprints of past meet with modernity:

http://www.abctales.com/story/noo/ghosts-my-life-poetry-monthly

This month try writing a poem based on a piece of art. A sculpture, portrait, live performance - the choice is yours. An ekphrastic poem is defined as ‘a vivid description of a scene or, more commonly, a work of art. Through the imaginative act of narrating and reflecting on the “action” of a painting or sculpture, the poet may amplify and expand its meaning.’ (The Poetry Foundation, 2016)  

Effective ekphrasis doesn’t merely say what you see through poetry: it presents your critical perspective in a unique way either through subversion or experimentation with the original. See Sarah Jackson’s poem ‘Two Mothers’ in her debut collection ‘Pelt’ for inspiration. Her haunting poem presents binary oppositions of motherhood from an infant’s perspective via two eerie maternal characters, one slovenly and overweight, the other a neurotic martyr. Written after Paula Rego’s sketch ‘A Girl With Two Mothers’ it makes a poignant modern statement about social ideologies of motherhood. (Jackson, Sarah. ‘Pelt’ Northumberland: Bloodaxe, 2012) Be sure to name the individual work and artist(s) featured in your poem clearly underneath the title. See you in July when the rain will hopefully have bogged off. Thank you, Ray.

Photo Credit: http://tinyurl.com/jr2ku4t

Poetry Foundation: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/resources/learning/glossary-terms/detail/ekphrasis