Hello and Happy National Poetry Month! Here it is, day 1 of ARTSPEAK!: Portraits, my National Poetry Month poem-a- day project, during which I am looking, listening with my spirit ear, and asking these subject to share with me their secrets.
But first: be sure to check out the Heidi's first line of our 2017 Progressive Poem over at my juicy little universe!
But first: be sure to check out the Heidi's first line of our 2017 Progressive Poem over at my juicy little universe!
Today I decided to go ahead and have a chat with arguably the most famous portrait of all -- the "Mona Lisa" by Leonardo da Vinci! Here's what she told me:
Mona Lisa in Love
You say my eyes
hold oceans of mystery,
that questions nest in my hair.
You want me to show you
what's hiding behind my sly smile.
What if I told you
I'm sleepy, dreamy –
swept away on a tide of memory?
It's simply you
I'm remembering,
the two of us sailing together
-->
across a boundless canvas of blue.
- Irene Latham
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Friends and readers who frequent this blog know I am a sucker for love poems! Often when faced with a blank page and no particular destination, a love poem is where I end up. It's kind of a lovely place to be, isn't it, remembering time spent with a loved one?
Also, you may notice there are differences in the formatting between the graphic version and the printed version below. That's simply due to space issues on the graphic. However It thought it might be useful to others to share both versions, as I often play with stanza and line breaks during revision. Sometimes it takes me a while to find the right formatting.
Thanks so much for reading!
Wow. Lovely.....that endless canvas.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a fantastic project, Irene. I mean, I never thought of Mona Lisa as a real human before. She's just an object...in a painting. But she likely did love once. And how that love is back. Here's to 29 more. xx
ReplyDeletePerfect, especially the last line!
ReplyDeleteI like that break before "you," Irene. And love poems always please me. Now I'll look at that smile in a different way.
ReplyDeleteHmmm. This is so dreamy, Irene.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me feel as if Leonardo actually hears Ms. Mona...
I wonder wonder wonder
about his answer back to her.
Your April gallery is an destination
I don't want to miss.
Love you, Mona!
ReplyDeleteI remember when we went to the Louvre and stood in line early. We made a beeline for the Mona Lisa. It's so small, but we were glad to be in the room before it was full of people as we saw it later in the day. Love these words:
ReplyDelete"sleepy, dreamy –
swept away on a tide of memory?"
That boundless canvas of blue is so lovely . . .
ReplyDelete