After Joan Mitchell’s La Grande Vallee XIV

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April 30, 2008

as if your blue black blur of brush
and paint can conjure swamp

or luminous maple bud,
tree frog croon

as if layers of saturation can restore
the vernal pool that was my all in all

as if your calligraphy of oil and wash
can contain jack-in-the-pulpit

early fern or tad pole swirl
as if the colors, oh your colors

Cezanne blue Van Gogh sun
flower yellow raging across three panels

as if for a while my rough
ecstasy hasn’t dulled to insight.

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Comments (6)

dale

April 30, 2008 at 12:35 pm

I love the sun / flower break just before crossing the three panels.

Wonderful poem. Thank you!
Pamela Hart

April 30, 2008 at 12:38 pm

Thanks Dale for reading and listening.
Nancy

April 30, 2008 at 12:47 pm

Absolutely astonishing -especially the final thought – bravo!
Pamela Hart

April 30, 2008 at 1:17 pm

Nancy, thanks for the kind words.
Christine

April 30, 2008 at 4:39 pm

I keep returning to the first line for the hypnotic “your blue black blur of brush.” I also admired the sunflower “raging” across the panels and the quivery scratch of “rough ecstasy,” that raw emotional reaction to art. Beautiful.
Annsley

May 1, 2008 at 3:39 pm

I love it. It is so peaceful, colorful and evocative all at once.