Another Poem

Posted on 06/20/2022 by Andrew Reynolds

Here is another poem from my ekphrastic class. Not going to say much about this one, but do let me know what you think about it.

First the original art:

This is a still life by Renato Gattuso titled, “Still Life with Skull and Lamp.”

Here is my version of the scene:

The hand is Heather’s art model hand that she sometimes uses when painting. Here I used it in place of a skull. I was aiming to mimic the color in the original with quilting fabrics.

Tea

	After Renato Gattuso’s “Still Life with Skull and Lamp”

Those days in the hills.
Hot afternoons looking for a bit of shade.
Orange sunsets that faded into stars.
Bright blue crisp dawns.

We’d boil water over a small cook fire.
Goats would climb on the cliffs
and lambs bleat for their mothers.

My market basket.
I go on Thursdays.
When we had sheep, I would knit,
now I just sit remembering.

The days before we found the skull,
before I put his memory in a cage,
before I had to go to market to buy wool.

About Andrew Reynolds

Born in California Did the school thing studying electronics, computers, release engineering and literary criticism. I worked in the high tech world doing software release engineering and am now retired. Then I got prostate cancer. Now I am a blogger and work in my wood shop doing scroll saw work and marquetry.
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29 Responses to Another Poem

  1. Debra says:
    06/24/2022 at 4:58 pm

    I really enjoyed the poem, Andrew. I honestly think it’s of high quality. And I do love your original art set-up. Nicely done!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  2. Dave says:
    06/24/2022 at 7:31 am

    You anticipated my question about the “hand”, Andrew. There could be a whole post about that item alone. Everything else in your still life collection blurred when I saw it. Except those Pepperidge Farm cookies, of course.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  3. Pingback: Another Poem – Nelsapy

  4. Sheila Landry Designs says:
    06/23/2022 at 5:00 am

    I love the imagery that your poem evokes. Very thoughtful. Thank you for sharing it with us. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  5. mitchteemley says:
    06/22/2022 at 3:55 pm

    I particularly like those last two stanzas, Andrew.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  6. Flojo says:
    06/21/2022 at 2:39 pm

    Wow, Andrew! Lovely imagery. And a novel in a few lines. Agree with the word “poignant” to describe this. Kudos!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  7. Diane Henders says:
    06/21/2022 at 2:28 pm

    Oh, wow. Very cool! I love your poetic interpretation, and your homemade still life!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  8. Baydreamer says:
    06/21/2022 at 8:39 am

    Wonderful poem, Andrew!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  9. SusanR says:
    06/21/2022 at 8:08 am

    I’m intrigued by this entire exercise.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  10. Jacqui Murray says:
    06/21/2022 at 7:17 am

    I can see you are inspired by your move. Very nice.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  11. jfwknifton says:
    06/20/2022 at 11:43 pm

    A very poignant poem with a story behind it that we can make up to fit our own circumstances. Two swallows do not make a summer, as we say, but the evidence so far is that the Ekphrastik Krew have improved your poetry by leaps and bounds.

    (And no, I’m not saying it was terrible before, far from it, but the improvement, for me, is quite marked.)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  12. robertawrites235681907 says:
    06/20/2022 at 10:23 pm

    This is very poignant, Andrew. Lovely!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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