Wednesday, April 15, 2015

ARTSPEAK! Poem #15 "Sailor to Dog"

Hello, and welcome to day #15 of ARTSPEAK!, my Poem-a-Day Project for National Poetry Month 2015, in which I am writing from images found in the online collections of the National Gallery of Art and focusing on dialogue, conversations, what does the piece say? 

Woohoo! We're halfway there!


Today's piece is "Man Crying Out" by Rembrandt.


This piece makes me think "anguish." I mean, this fella is not a happy one. I see pain and heartache. And his mouth is open, like he's calling to someone or something. And he's wearing that hat! I don't know, but it made me think of a sailor. So I started asking myself, why is this sailor so upset? What are the words pouring from his mouth? It could be so many things! A lost love, perhaps?? But this is intended for children. So I thought back to Renoir's little dog, from poem #8. What if this sailor had lost his dog?


I'm wondering now if I should title the poem "To Jack" and let the reader discover it's a dog?? We'll see in revisions. :) Meanwhile, I will be traveling the  next few days -- hoping I am able to write and get these posts out on schedule!! Be sure to visit lovely Robyn at Life on the Deckle Edge to find out how our Progressive poem is progressing!

4 comments:

  1. Wouldn't you love to hear the story from Rembrandt himself of this sad man? Such a lonely story, Irene, for a lonely sailor to lose his companion. I like that tail "nub-nub-nubbing."

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  2. This makes me so sad! I want to believe that Jack is found in some other sketch, "Man Smiling Now and Scratching Dog's Ears."
    [I do like how those claws click...]

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  3. Awww...that is so sad. I love the sounds--the nails clicking and timbers creaking...

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  4. LITTLE BUDDY
    My furry little buddy,
    I’m so sorry for not latching
    The door shut, allowing you
    To scamper out, yipping away,
    Slipping off the edge
    Before I could rescue you.

    (c) Charles Waters 2015 all rights reserved.

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Your thoughts?