the middle finger of my right
hand
grows a tree
white tap roots skitter
down
interweaving with my veins
branches protude
fingerlings swimming upward-
against gravity
northbound -
this is homeward drive
where mollusks are plenty
my body is listening
leap
capture the raging
tides swelling within-
this warm clay
coarsely molds friction & fire
with flights of fancy
to sculpture -
wings are not required
the fruiting is art
Artist Credit: Anastassia Zamaraeva
Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - Poetics - 2024 Poets Leaping hosted by Lisa Fox. Thanks for your comments and visits.
I love the way you expressed the creativity... trees growing from the artists hand... and so well fitting to art itself.
ReplyDeleteThis is gorgeously rendered, Grace! 🩷 I especially admire this part; "this is homeward drive/where mollusks are plenty/my body is listening/ leap/capture the raging tides swelling within." 😍😍
ReplyDeleteso much "friction & fire
ReplyDeletewith flights of fancy"
in this fantastic ekphrastic, Grace
Beautiful imagery in this poem, Grace, especially in the lines:
ReplyDelete‘the middle finger of my right
hand
grows a tree’
and
‘this warm clay
coarsely molds friction & fire
with flights of fancy’.
Grace, what a delightful surprise to see you were describing an actual piece of art. Your poem works as a perfect metaphor as well. The art piece has me imagining the finger as a wand, shooting out cracking energy. Love it every which-way.
ReplyDeleteThere's a craft to leaping which must be known in the bones - er, fingers - a practiced and studied talent for letting go and letting fly. Done here!
ReplyDeleteReading through first and then seeing the art was fantastic! I especially love these lines:
ReplyDelete“white tap roots skitter
down
interweaving with my veins
branches protude”
Thus is so surreal. Nice one
ReplyDeleteMuch♡love
to sculpture -
ReplyDeletewings are not required
the fruiting is art
- lovely final verse!
Lovely poem to go with this unique piece of art.
ReplyDeleteI love this poem, Grace--you caught me with the opening, and the ending is perfect. (If you're on Twitter/X, you should do Top Tweet Tuesday--all imagist poetry.)
ReplyDeleteto sculpture -
wings are not required
the fruiting is art
This is exquisite Grace, and speaks directly to me of both the commonality and the unique differences in the features in our two landscapes of the soul.
ReplyDeleteToday I am particularly taken with:
this warm clay
coarsely molds friction & fire
with flights of fancy
This is beautiful, complex and a pleasure to read.
ReplyDeleteLove that penultimate stanza, great alliteration!
ReplyDeleteFantastic interpretation of that beautiful artwork and an equally beautiful and wonderfully imagined exploration of creativity.
ReplyDeleteAn artist's hand and the art it creates: where to draw the distinction when the roots and flights of fancy intertwine so closely. A fantastic ekphratic on artists and artistry, Grace. Loved it.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting piece of Art. A very creative use of the prompt, Grace.
ReplyDeleteI got such a vivid picture of creation in my mind from your words--and then to see the sculpture, lovely!
ReplyDeleteSuch an exquisite ekphrastic, Grace, which also works as a beautiful metaphor.
ReplyDelete"my body is listening
ReplyDeleteleap
capture the raging
tides swelling within- "
Beautiful creativity here, Grace.