Happy Haiga Day!

 © Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.  "Three Pears" by Paul Cézanne.

Text:

early June

the pear tree interlaced
with walnut-sized fruit

come September after
birds and squirrels feast
we'll be lucky to find three

Ekphrastic April, Day 30: "Two Sleeping Cats"

I'm going to end my 4th annual National Poetry Month series of ekphrastic cherita with a cat painting  by Wanda Gág, author and illustrator of one of my favorite picture books, Millions of Cats.

"Two Sleeping Cats" (1928) by Wanda Gág [1893-1946].

a pat of butter melting
on a slice of hot toast

a sleeping cat

a Saturday morning 

with a cup of coffee 

and nowhere else to be

 

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Ekphrastic April, Day 29: "[Black and white, an informal portrait of a young Negro woman surrounded by laundry in Newport, R.I.]"

 

"[Black and white, an informal portrait of a young Negro woman surrounded by laundry in Newport, R.I.]" (1903) by Gertrude Käsebier [1852-1934].

 

an artist has the freedom
to play with perspective
to show things in new ways

we notice, then wonder
what else we've missed...

...let's go play!

  

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Ekphrastic April, Day 28: "Shorty"

 

"Shorty" by Ada May Plante [1875-1950]. 

the ability to dream
with eyes wide open

to be transported
great distances from words
best left unheard

is an admirable trait

 

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Ekphrastic April, Day 27: "A Knock at the Door"

 

"A Knock at the Door" (1897) by Laura Theresa Alma-Tadema [1852-1909].

 

my child, he is here

take a deep breath,
another...and one more
check your hair, your dress

slow down, give him
the time to breathe, too

 

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Ekphrastic April, Day 26: "Les Tricoteuses"

 

"Les Tricoteuses" 1915 by Jacqueline Marval [1866-1932] 

I am a cat

and cannot control
my innate impulses

humans knit in front
of me as if they expect
I won't go for the kill

 

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Ekphrastic April, Day 25: "The Milliner"

 

"The Milliner" (circa 1877) by Eva Gonzalès [1849-1883].

a palette of ribbons
and silk flowers

her use of color is flawless

I do draw the line at
feathers--my adornment
is not worth a song

 

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Ekphrastic April, Day 24: "Flora"

 

"Flora" (1913) by Louise Abbéma [1853-1927].

 

I am housemaid to an artist

portrait sitters are prim--
no clean up required

those who partake in a
tableau vivant vex me with
drama (and flower petals)

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Ekphrastic April, Day 23: "Bermuda Scene"

 

"Bermuda Scene" by Mariquita Gill [1861 - 1915].

 

the house is painted white
against the blazing sun

the reflected yellow
repaints the blue sky
a nauseating green

to match my disposition

 

 © Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Ekphrastic April, Day 21: "Self-portrait with Green Background and Blue Irises"

 

"Self-portrait with Green Background and Blue Irises" (circa 1905) by Paula Modersohn-Becker [1876-1907].

 

portrait with green background

in 1905 she thought she'd
have many more irises to paint

but death hid grinning in
the foliage--he knew she
had only two springs more

 

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Ekphrastic April, Day 20: "Edge of Abruzzi; Boat with Three People on a Lake"

 

"Edge of Abruzzi; Boat with Three People on a Lake" (1924) by Winifred Knights [1899-1947].

 

knowing that nothing
exists beyond what is
seen on the canvas

these two dimensions

possess a magic that makes
me believe I can climb in

 

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Ekphrastic April, Day 19: "Chez Moi"

 

"Chez Moi" (1887) by Harriet Backer [1845-1932].

 

my room full of sunlight

when I, too, am sunny
I close the door to play

and sing a dance hall ditty
before settling down to
more interminable practice

 

 © Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Ekphrastic April, Day 18: "Achill Horses"

 

"Achill Horses" (1941) by Mainie Jellett [1897-1944].

I have seen the white horse
on the high cliff this morning
 
luck should be mine today

but what to make of
the babe in the cradle
already afloat on the sea?

 

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Ekphrastic April, Day 17: "Afterglow"

 

"Afterglow" (1914) by Florence H. McGillivray [1864–1938].

 

when the sun seems
to breathe its last

there is an afterglow

and fantastical words--
crepuscular, vespertine--
describe its creatures

 

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Ekphrastic April, Day 16: "At the Dressing Table"

 

"At the Dressing Table. Self-Portrait" (1909) by Zinaida Serebriakova [1884-1967].

 

whites and tints
highlight the triangle

of terracotta and
auburn with her face
at its apex

she lives her art

 

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

 

 

Ekphrastic April, Day 15: "Blooming Apple-trees. The Trees are in Blossom"

 

"Blooming apple-trees. The trees are in blossom" (1899) by Maria Yakunchikova [1870-1902].

apple trees in bloom

spring, albeit briefly,
perfumes the air

in a few months the scent
of over-ripe apples will
languish through autumn

 

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Ekphrastic April, Day 14: "Lady Affixing Pennant to a Knight's Spear"

Today's artist is more famous as being the model for others' work.  Perhaps most recognizable is the portrayal of her as "Ophelia" by John Everett Millais.  Her husband, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, was a well-known poet and artist, so I imagine it may have been a struggle to get herself recognized as a poet and artist, too.  Read a fascinating BBC article here.

 

 "Lady Affixing Pennant to a Knight's Spear" by Elizabeth Eleanor Siddal [1829-1862].

 

sidestep the vicissitudes
of physical beauty

dare to become
a person of artistic
accomplishments

the impossibilities, endless

 

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved. 

Ekphrastic April, Day 13: "The Tiff"

 

"The Tiff" (c. 1902) by Florence Carlyle [1864-1923].

 

I do not mind sulking

it gives us both the time
to think--him about
the unkind thing he said

me about the apologetic
kisses he will soon offer

 

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved. 

 

Ekphrastic April, Day 12: "Bathing Baby"

 

"Bathing Baby" by Elanor Colburn [1866-1939].

 

if only she would sit
in the water without
that sodden rabbit

bathing baby

requires patience

and many many towels

 

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved. 

Ekphrastic April, Day 11: "Skaters"

 

"Skaters" by Marianne von Werefkin [1860-1938].

 

ice skating

at night I think of myself
as a dark presence flying

over the ice snatching
bits of private conversations
like a bat catches mosquitoes

 

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.