NaPoWriMo: ekphrastic poem

“Sleeping Beauty by Edward Brewtnall”   Red, climbing roses, snapped and chopped by his sword; wind in the pine tree castle keep gave fresh small; bees and kites and worms formed cocoons along her frozen ice while body. Red, climbing roses, snapped and chopped. He was before her, pushing, cutting her chrysalis bed. Looked at…

the slave market by gustave boulanger

The Slave Market

“The Slave Market” by Gustave Boulanger She was my slave once. When my kingdom was ordered and the Libyan’s weren’t in contact with those rough hispid people. Now we’re here. The auctioneer merchant seller sits and eats. CRUNCH. CRUNCH. The strong man looks down at him & at his wife and son. They would be…

Self Portrait 1922

Self Portrait 1922 by Frida Kahlo Wearing that great purple dress — is that really what you wore today? Yes. Of course you did. You always do as you like — always. You grew up to be ME, didn’t you; I never lost those eyes.

Phryne revealed before the Areopagus

“Phryne revealed before the Areopagus” by Jean-Léon Gérôme Naked skin intense light looking away from them at nothing My lover took off my clothes bared my to every red robed man Ashamed and wanted to not cry as they judged me with panicked alarm Ahead of me was my goddess even she turned away turned…

Stegosaurus by Alexander Calder

a million years before your time, their were dinosaurs roaming this country, with oceans of dense jungle, it made Amazon like a shrub, in my garden their was a tremor— many tremors, dinosaurs went, the land was calm before it got burned in ice people began a think of being here, with these unknown monsters:…