Thursday, May 10, 2018

The Personal Response to Art - "World Make Way"

          Poetry Friday is flashing today at Jama's Alphabet Soup with the birdbird of happiness, Jama Rattigan! Thanks, Jama, for helping our appetites grow for tasty food and beautiful art, fabulous books and the sweetest of animals. 

         Though I haven't written many ekphrastic poems, I do love what others do when writing about the art they are viewing, art that they love. Diane Mayr at Random Noodling wrote cheritas to art by women artists this past April, Irene Latham at Live Your Poem wrote  to art from the Harlem Renaissance and often poets share some new poem they've written or discovered about a piece of art for Poetry Friday. This year, for Laura Shovan's birthday month, a large group signed up to share a piece of art they own for all of us in the group to respond to. You can read about her plan here. I posted a few of the poems I wrote here. It was special to read the depth of the poems written and the varied responses to each piece of art. After all, this was a daily exercise, not easy to write beautiful words so quickly! Here is the piece I shared and the intro to it: This is a pencil drawing from one of my grandfathers who went to art school briefly before having to return to the family farm while his brother served in WWI. He said this was by one of his teachers. Over 25 wrote a poem response. 

          I tried a prose poem to this, my own response!  
Long Ago Life

       When I was young, after World War II, I lived with my maternal grandparents. We had flush toilets then, but others did not, nor running water. The war meant sacrifices of more than people. Grandma had tho
se luxuries but washed the clothes in big tubs. Grandpa dumped the wash water on his garden, nothing wasted. I remember handing her clothespins as she hung the clothes on the line. My uncles came home from the war, midst celebration for them, grief for my father, who did not. They held a party with distant family finding enough gas to make the journey to welcome them home. People hugged me and my uncles a lot, ate, laughed, and cried. The first thing one uncle did was borrow Grandpa’s truck and take it to the nearby bigger town, brought back a wringer washer for Grandma. She sat down on the sofa and cried and cried. I didn’t understand. It seemed like a wonderful thing to me.



       

           This brings me to a most important "other" sharing, of a marvelous new book brought out recently by Lee Bennett Hopkins, a book filled with a wide array of art from an art museum and ekphrastic poems from an equally wide array of contemporary poets, all of which you know from Poetry Friday and other poems and books they're written. That book is World Make Way, New Poems Inspired by Art from The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 
        Lee Bennett Hopkins opens the book with a sketch of a bear by Da Vinci, emphasizing the strength given to this bear even in this brief sketch, saying to us viewers: "World make way!" Bennett's words further explain that all who view a piece of art "may see and feel things differently than your friends or classmates. You might focus on the work as a whole, or you might zero in on a small detail that jumps out--a patch of sky, a sailboat, even a swirl of color." He gives permission to respond in personal ways. What a gift to all, especially to young beginning writers!
         The art has been chosen from all times, all parts of the world in varied media and subjects. It, like each piece of art we see, evokes responses that are both personal and beautiful. In a group setting, it would be wonderful to show the art, to write, then to read what these poets have written from their own personal and poetic response. 
        When you have the book in your hands and can experience the art and read each poet's words, you will understand the opening quote that Lee Bennett Hopkins chose from Da Vinci: "Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen." It is a book filled with poetry to savor as it speaks to the beautiful art.

          Accompanying the artwork and specially commissioned poems is an introduction, biographies of each poet and artist, and an index. It's a terrific book to add to your poetry collection.

33 comments:

  1. Linda, what a touching, powerful piece you wrote. " I remember handing her clothespins as she hung the clothes on the line." - what a rich image. Thanks, too, for your insights re. WORLD MAKE WAY - a special book that will speak to many generations, I think. Happy Mother's Day to you! XO

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    1. World Make Way is a lovely new book. Happy Mother's Day to you, too, Robyn! Thanks!

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  2. Linda, I do like your prose poem. It is rich in memories. I love the quote from the introduction to Lee' book. Happy Mother's Day, my friend.

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    1. Thanks, Carol, hope your special day Sunday is good, too!

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  3. Your prose poem is so heartfelt and evocative of the times, and you expressed your familial love so beautifully. I can just picture your grandmother crying over the washer. It reminded me of my grandma hanging clothes in her back yard with her wooden clothes pins. She had a wringer washer too, which I found fascinating.

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    1. Forgot to thank you for sharing your thoughts about World Make Way. I love it, and I also enjoy reading ekphrastic poems by PF friends when they share them at their blogs. Random Noodling and Live Your Poem was especially enriching last month.

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    2. Thanks for sharing your wringer washer memory, Jama. Yes, fascinating & I was told over and over to be careful with it! World Make Way makes another wonderful collection for everyone.

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  4. THANK YOU SO much for your enthusiasm over my recent collection WORLD MAKE WAY (Abrams), an exciting book to compile. Lee Bennett Hopkins

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    1. You're welcome, Lee. My only regret is that I don't have a classroom to share it with but I will share with my former colleagues!

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  5. Your prose poem is evocative and moving, Linda. The ending is perfect! And this, about WORLD MAKE WAY: "He gives permission to respond in personal ways. What a gift to all, especially to young beginning writers!" Amen to that!

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  6. A very moving piece you wrote to accompany the drawing Linda, if feels like you are right there in the thick of events unfolding.

    I just received my own copy of WORLD MAKE WAY, it's gorgeous and I look forward to spending time with the art and poetry, thanks for your review!

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  7. I remember your sketch and your prose poem from Feb. Both were among my favorites! You created a wonderful weave of emotions, filled with celebration and poignancy, especially in "My uncles came home from the war, midst celebration for them, grief for my father, who did not." And again in your last two lines. Thanks for sharing it again. I loved reading it again when I had more time.

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  8. I enjoyed writing in response to the art you shared in February. Did I miss your prose poem them? They came so fast that month! It is such a poignant response to the art. I'm glad you reshared it so it could shine.

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  9. What a beautiful post. The words from this that I am taking for my journal are "I remember..." I appreciate poems that begin like that and take me back to a different time. And, thanks for the review of World Make Way. I really cannot wait to get my hands on that book. Only 18 more days of school for me!

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  10. Oh, Linda. "midst celebration for them, grief for my father, who did not." Such a powerful, spare moment tucked among your words there. Hugs to you.

    And I can't wait to read World Make Way!

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  11. It seems like you should write a memoir, Linda! Your details are so evocative and poignant.

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  12. Very touching, Linda - and that last line really pulls the emotional impact of your words together. Quite moving!

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  13. Thanks to everyone. I'm glad you enjoyed my poem and that you also love or will find "World Make Way", more new poetry to love!

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  14. Great reminders of all the wonderful poetry from April. Also love the Da Vinci quote and can't wait to see this new book.

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    1. I'm sure you will love it, Brenda. Thanks!

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  15. As you know, ekphrastic is one of my favorite prompts to poetry. I remember this poem and how loving you tell this story. I have World Make Way and I'm savoring it. Such wonderful mentor poems inside.

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    1. I should have included that I'm also reading Barbara Crooker's Les Fauves which is beautiful, too. Thanks, Margaret.

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  16. I love your prose poem! You added so many new layers of meaning to the piece of art.

    And Lee's newest collection...a TREASURE!

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    1. Thanks, Mary Lee. The poem was good to write, and sometimes writing to a piece of art brings up surprising connections.

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  17. Linda -- Such a rich story you've crafted with so few words. I did enjoy creating a poem in response to this simple, yet powerful piece of art in February. Many thanks for sharing it again and your new work. -- Christie @ https://wonderingandwondering.wordpress.com/

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    1. You're welcome, Christie. It was a great month of writing, wasn't it?

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  18. Your prose poem really struck a chord with me, Linda - so many astute observations of a specific time and ethic. Just lovely.

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    1. Thanks, Tara. Some memories are quite vivid!

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  19. Linda, I remember wringer washers, except that I can no longer remember from where or when. I can understand your grandmother's response to getting one--it must have been life-changing. Thanks for sharing your memories.

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    1. You're welcome, Diane. My mother used one, too, but I don't remember when she got her first automatic. I remember her clothes hanging, too, though.

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  20. "She sat down on the sofa and cried and cried. I didn’t understand. It seemed like a wonderful thing to me." - The perfect perspective on how a child interprets the world. Great prose poem, Linda. And thanks for the introduction to LBH latest book. Will look for it. Happy Mother's Day! =)

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    1. Thanks, Bridget, and Happy Mother's Day to you! I hope you enjoy World Make Way!

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