Sunday, April 19, 2015

ARTSPEAK! Poem #19 "Spearfishing"

Hello, and welcome to day #19 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? 

Today's piece is “Fisherman Spearing a Fish” by John La Farge.

Gorgeous, isn't it? My poem today is simple (though I tried to make it difficult!). I just decided simple was best for this one:





I really wanted the poem to be in the spear's voice, and it is... yet, it can also be read as the fisherman's voice. Isn't it interesting to think that they want the same thing? This way the reader can decide who is speaking. (If I wanted to make it clearly "spear" I think I would need the spear to want the opposite of what the fisherman wants, in order to make it clear. Something to think about in revisions!)


Be sure to visit lovely haiku-goddess Linda at Teacher Dance for the latest in our Progressive Poem!
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4 comments:

  1. RamonaApril 19, 2015 at 8:49 AM

    Love your use of the hyphenated words to focus on the spear. I was drawn in by the gorgeous natural setting, yet you brought the fisherman to life for me.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Linda BApril 19, 2015 at 11:24 PM

    That 'ripple-wish' says so much, Irene. Love that you kept it simple; the picture calls for it, too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Charles WatersMay 2, 2015 at 2:51 PM

    VEGAN TO FISHERMAN
    Please, don’t hurt these fish
    They’re not yours to eat
    Would you like your flesh
    To be used as meat?

    (c) Charles Waters 2015 all rights reserved.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Charles WatersMay 2, 2015 at 2:51 PM

    VEGAN TO FISHERMAN
    Please, don’t hurt these fish
    They’re not yours to eat
    Would you like your flesh
    To be used as meat?

    (c) Charles Waters 2015 all rights reserved.

    ReplyDelete

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