Hello, beautiful readers! Today, I'm tackling dVerse's In Other Words challenge. Melissa provided us with several paintings by Georgia O'Keeffe and asked us to choose one and create an Ekphrastic poem for it. An Ekphrasic poem is simply a descriptive poem that is written about or inspired by an artwork. She also encouraged us to choose a handful of words from a list she provided. I've bolded and italicized my words.
I decided to write a Reverse Etheree, which is a poem made up of ten lines with a syllable count of 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1.
(Georgia O'Keeffe, A Piece of Wood I (1942), oil on canvas,
Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, gift of the Burnett Foundation)
Depression
I drown in a montage of dark nightmares
no illumination reaches me
choices weigh heavy on my heart
regret and embarrassment
overlap, no relief
just more distortions
there's no way out
help won't come
I am
lost
Would you like to write a poem using of the paintings Melissa shared? Join us here.
The form of the poem worked so well with the spiraling into darkness.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bjorn! I appreciate you visiting. :-)
DeleteI thought it a glum painting too so avoided it. Living daily life is enough to drown one! The reverse etheree worked really well in sync with the painting. Well done!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Petru! I felt the glumness as well, which is why I wrote this poem. Then, I read the title and realized it was just a rendition of wood. That's the fun in art - the viewer creates the story. Thanks for sharing! :-)
DeleteThe form was a perfect choice, feeling like a lack of breath at the end.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mish! I appreciate your visit. :-)
Deleteyvette! i love what you did here ... the form, the words, and how it fits the photo. <3
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ren! I appreciate you visiting. :-)
DeleteI'm in agreement with all here that the reverse etheree was the perfect choice and the visual of a down arrow/spiral to accompany a tough subject.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Stephen! I appreciate you stopping by. :-)
DeleteNicely done Yvette.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Maria! I appreciate your visit. :-)
DeleteMy partner is suffering from depression and this downward spiral could describe her experience perfectly. Much of the time I have to write is because I must remain close beside her but unable to help and so I write...
ReplyDeleteGreat choice of form for this subject, Yvette.
I'm so sorry to hear that, Andrew. I know how difficult it is to drown in depression. :'( I have no doubt she appreciate your love and presence. If she hasn't heard of emotional frequency tapping or neurofeedback, she may want to look into those. I hope she is able to find her way out of the dark abyss soon. Thanks for sharing! :-)
DeleteThanks Yvette, we will look into them...
DeleteI agree with Andrew, a very accurate portrayal of depression and other mental illness.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Melissa! I appreciate your visit. :-)
DeleteI have lived this, and it is tough to pull out of it.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is, Sara! I am very familiar with this struggle. Thanks for visiting and sharing! :-)
DeleteYou describe the indescribable so well, no easy feat. I so love how you work the etheree and how the poem does distill down to its stark cry. I don't want to intrude - but I wonder that you know this experience? Powerful stuff.
ReplyDeleteI have had three bouts of depression in my life. Thankfully, I found treatments that worked for me. I also live with an anxiety disorder, which was quite debilitating for many years, but I'm much better now. Thanks for stopping by, Paul! :-)
DeleteSuch a compelling write, Yvette and so well done. The reverse Etheree worked perfectly.
ReplyDelete