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February 16, 2018

Poetry Friday--"The Fortune Teller"

I'm taking part in Laura Shovan's February daily challenge to write an ekphrastic poem (art about art). This one, which I wrote on February 2, is able to stand on its own without the original work of art that inspired it. For today, I have illustrated it with pages taken from old books.


Click on image to enlarge. © Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Text:

The Fortune Teller

The fortune teller
took my hand
spread it palm up
to trace its lines.

My lines my life.

“You have embarked
on a journey,” she said,
“the road I see
ahead is circuitous.”

She looked up.

“Do you do nothing
directly?” She asked.

I pondered for a bit...

“No,” I whispered softly.
“I'm a poet.”

“Ah,” she said. “That
explains the slant
to the pavement.”

Jone is hosting the Round-Up at Check It Out!

30 comments:

  1. How did I miss this one? Love the question, "Do you do nothing directly?"

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    1. I think that's the secret of being a "real" poet!

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  2. Loved it then, love it now! Your images work so well with this.

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    1. I love the way the colors work together. A "happy accident."

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  3. OF COURSE there's a slant. :) And curves and misdirections... thank you, Poet Diane! xo

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  4. I like the new background you've added, have never been to a fortune teller. I wonder what I would learn. I do love your ending, Diane!

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    1. I haven't either, but I'd give it try given the opportunity.

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  5. What a great poem (and I love the graphics you used to present it today). I've always wanted to have my palm read.

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    1. And it seems like a lot of people in the late 1800s and early 1900s did, too! There were a lot of how-to manuals written back then.

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  6. Diane, I really liked your poem when you shared it on FB but now with the images encircling it, it is a visual treasure.

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    1. Thanks, Carol. It's nice when words and image work well together.

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  7. I love it! That last line especially rings for me -- That explains the slant to the pavement. I love what you did with the book pages, too.

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  8. Lovely and powerful... and true! Thanks so much for sharing.

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  9. Diane -- I love that idea of switching up the image to see if it still works. It certainly does. Well done!

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    1. Well, the advantage to doing it the second way is that if something in a picture doesn't work you can cover it with something else!

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    1. There are many ways of telling the truth! Metaphor is just one.

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  11. "Tell all the truth, but tell it slant." Emily always gets it right! Love this.

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    1. Yes, she does! I discovered that line a dozen or so years ago and I keep coming back to it.

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  12. Oh! Oh, how I love this so. Yes, the poet never takes the easy path, but that is what adds fuel to her creative fire. :-)

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  13. Oh my, I missed this one too. Thanks for sharing it and the imaginative collage you created for it. I took a Reiki workshop this morning and learned something of the importance of our hands. We hold the whole world in them. As poets, I think we see more with our hands than with our eyes.

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  14. I loved the poem when I first read it on Laura's site, but oh it's gorgeous now with your graphic images and color added–it's offering so many layers–thanks!

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  15. Sounds to me like a true story! That slant to the pavement is something to be proud of.

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  16. The slant of the pavement is perfect. The whole presentations wi beautiful.

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  17. Love the ending. We poets do see things slant. Symbols matter.

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