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March 7, 2014

Poetry Friday--Beyond the Rainbow

It's March, and although I had a super time with Laura Shovan's Pantone Poetry Project, I'm happy to be moving away from color prompts!

I posted three color poems earlier in February, and today I'm going to share ones I created later in the month.

The first color is "Dubarry," which is similar to the color of Du Barry's gown in this painting by François-Hubert Drouais (1770).

Painting courtesy Museo Nacional del Prado.
Du Barry

The young women's pregnancy had ended badly.
Her child was still-born, dead upon arrival.

Undoubtedly grieving, the woman had failed
to report the child's demise to those in power.

"Guilty of infanticide!" They declared and
demanded she swing from the gallows.

Sometimes men feel the need to play god,
but without a divinity's love and compassion.

"Have mercy on this young woman,"
Madame du Barry wrote to the Chancellor.

And, as it turned out, du Barry's powers
far outweighed those of France's false gods.

Real gods are asexual and du Barry
knew that these men of power were not.

If you've been following women's issues here in the U.S., I think the above poem may ring some bells. (Everything old is new again.)

The next is a riddle disguised as a poem! The prompt color is "Solar Power."


My current favorite from the project is the following. The prompt color is "Plein Air." The image is from a postcard courtesy NYPL Digital Library. I tweaked the color to correspond with "Plein Air."


I challenged myself to get all the senses into a short poem. I love the word effervescent since, if you think of soda, not only does it have taste, you can hear the fizz, feel the tickle in your nose, smell the gas from the bursting bubbles, and watch the whole thing sparkle!

This next poem is a little odd, I'll admit, but it was in response to the prompt, "Peacock Green." The image is cropped from a photo of a bedraggled peacock I came upon at a park in New Jersey. Many years ago, here in New Hampshire, I would sometimes be awakened on a summer's night by a horrendously loud, unrecognizable cry. It took a long time before I found out it was a peacock in the neighborhood! Peafowl, and other exotic animals, don't belong in NJ or NH!



The last color Laura assigned was "Tandori Spice."

Poems © Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

I don't want to end my participation in the project without publicly thanking Laura Shovan and all those who took part. You are all awesome! Margaret at Reflections on the Teche was one of those who wrote color poems and this week she is the Poetry Friday Round-Up host!

14 comments:

  1. What a wonderful collection of your work to start my day. I haven't even had coffee and I'm already smiling. You have a such a wonderful range, Diane. Thank you!

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    1. I'm already on my second cup. Feed the cats, coffee, and then smile!

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  2. Diane, it's amazing to me how your creative valve is always open. The words and pictures keep flowing and flowing.... You've brought so much to Laura's project this past month! Your finale, "Unsettled," gives me chills each time I read it.

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    1. Thanks, Michelle! I like the "creative valve" image!

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  3. Wow, what a wonderful group of poems. As always, love the way you pair images with your words. "Unsettled" is so very poignant, and when I first read "May Morning," I perked up at the word "effervescent." Happy to hear how much you like that word too. Great political jab in "Du Barry." Fitting that she has a look of smug satisfaction on her face in the painting. :)

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    1. Jama, political/social issues are never far from my mind. It's all the fault of those damned internets!

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  4. I always learned from you, Diane, trying hard to see what you did and how. Of course still at it, but loved the month seeing what everyone did. Congratulations on all of your fabulous poems.

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    1. Thanks, Linda, it was great writing alongside you!

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  5. splendid colour poems, luv them all, have a nice Friday

    Much love...

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    1. Thank you, Gillena! I'm envious of the color you're starting to experience in T & T. I enjoy it when you write haiku about your local flowers.

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  6. Your color poems were/are all fantastic! Such variety! Such VOICE!

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    1. Voice, huh? Well, just don't ask me to sing!

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  7. Diane, You are a wonderful poet and I have been honored to sit next to you on many occasions at Laura's site. I am especially moved by your poem DuBarry. This was one I failed at. I researched and wrote a number of different drafts and finally gave up. Yours is masterful and full of emotion and, like you said, very pertinent even today. Let's keep writing!

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    1. We will keep writing as long as we keep inspiring each other!

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