Abstract Calligraphy by Seburo Hasegawa
—Poems by Neil Ellman, Livingston, NJ
ABSTRACT CALLIGRAPHY
(after the calligraphy of Seburo Hasegawa)
Every letter, every stroke and leaf
an abstract form.
See in it whatever you wish:
yourself in youth, a sign of autumn
with its falling leaves, the rain,
the world a forest glen
and blackness of a tree
without the words to speak
of what we should believe.
Bird and Circle II
—Etching by Larry Rivers
BIRD AND CIRCLE II
(after the etching by Larry Rivers)
As if it were Aristotle
Contemplating the Bust of Homer
the mockingbird considers the circle—
its pathway home and back again
in an endless gyre
or the world and universe,
eternal and contained
with nowhere else to fly.
The City Rises
—Painting by Umberto Boccioni
THE CITY RISES
(after the painting by Umberto Boccioni)
The city rises
from its own debris
embedded in the strata
of its history
after millennia of sleep
from shards of pottery
and beveled stone
with runes and letters
worn by use
telling stories
of the commonplace
and of heroic war—
a jeweled cup
and arrow head
and fragments
of a skeleton
of a nameless king
it rises from its past
and then appears
as little more
than an exhibit
in a gallery
encased by glass.
I've Lost My Ring
—Painting by Kukyrynikay
I’VE LOST MY RING
(after the painting by Kukyryniksy)
I’ve lost my ring
and with it innocence
my wedding band
and halo gone
I have become
a traveler
between what’s true
and not
between my faith
and disbelief
I wander with no certainty
and still without a care
the ring that held
me prisoner
in the circle
of my life and death
now gone
I am free to exercise
my will
and choose a life
without the rings
that caged me in.
Pumpkin
—Painting by Yayoi Kusama
PUMPKIN
(after the painting by Yayoi Kusama)
If time had a shape
it would be that of a pumpkin
round, ripe,
not flattened by the ground
and perfect in its way.
If space had a shape
it would be a pumpkin’s as well
proud and indifferent
defiant to the knife
with vines extending
like tentacles of light.
If the universe had shape
it could only be a pumpkin’s
forever expanding
through its eternal patch
of space and time.
I am that pumpkin—
one with the cosmos
ripe with possibilities
and filled with hope.
Thou Was Not Born for Death, Immortal Bird
—Calligraphic Painting by Koji Kakinuma
THOU WAS NOT BORN FOR
DEATH, IMMORTAL BIRD
(after the calligraphic painting
by Koji Kakinuma)
Immortal bird
thou hast lived 500 years
then 500 more
and seen so little change
in the manners of mankind.
Surely, you must wish
for a final death
rather than endure
the scenes you have seen
of war and pestilence,
but that wast not born
for death
but to bear witness
to the truth of history.
Bounds of the Intellect
—Painting by Paul Klee
BOUNDS OF THE INTELLECT
(after the painting by Paul Klee)
To know
is not to know
all there is to know
but to sense
some fraction
of the mathematics
and the blindness
of the universe
the elegance
of equations
the precision
of measurements—
but to praise
and savor
the imperfection
of the roundness
of the moon.
Dragon Calligraphy
by Kasumi Bunsho
DRAGON CALLIGRAPHY
(after the calligraphy of Kasumi Bunsho)
The red and yellow serpent
weaves hope
through the city’s streets
fireworks crackling at its feet
and bursting in its ears
a time to celebrate
the coming of the Dragon Year
but in the morning
when the streets are littered
with the paper-shell promises
of yesterday
nothing at all is changed.
The Lidless Eye
—Painting by Adrian Ghenie
THE LIDLESS EYE (for Packett no. 99)
(after the painting by Adrian Ghenie)
The lidless eye sees everything
in darkness and the light
through endless days and nights
knows everything
of the sun-filled world
the commonplace
of men who lead their ordinary lives
and of the moonless realm
when people change their WAYS
and metamorphosize
to creatures of the night.
There are no secrets
hidden from the lidless eye
no confidence too small
no conviction too unorthodox
no disagreement too petty
no complicity or ritual
no magic trickery
with trap doors and sleight of hand.
The lidless eye knows everything
because it sees everything
designed to deceive the human mind
in darkness and in light.
"All that exists is the moment to moment in front of our eyes"
—Taro Okamoto on Instagram, Calligraphy by Koji Kakinuma
Today’s LittleNip:
ALL THAT EXISTS IS THE MOMENT-TO-
MOMENT IN FRONT OF YOUR EYES
(after the calligraphic painting by Koji Kakinuma)
Blink once and all of existence will disappear:
planets, galaxies and dark space
the creation and evolution of humankind
the rise and fall of civilizations
the birth and death of everyone you love;
when your eyelids open again
you will be left alone blinded by the past
and what could have been.
______________________
Our thanks to Neil Ellman for today’s journey into ekphrasticism, and a reminder that the newest issue of Sacramento’s journal, Ekphrasis, edited by Laverne and Carol Frith, is available now at www.ekphrasisjournal.com/. And Poetry Off-the-Shelves poetry read-around will take place at the El Dorado County library in Placerville tonight, 5-7pm. Scroll down to the blue column (under the green column at the right) for info about this and other upcoming poetry events in our area—and note that more may be added at the last minute.
—Medusa
Celebrate poetry!
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