Haiku Sticky #251

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Ekphrastic Monday Poem #4

Today is the last Monday of National Poetry Month, and the last ekphrastic poem for April. Thanks for stopping by to read poems inspired by visual art!

I wasn't able to find anything about Kinder und Hund ("Children and Dog"), other than it was painted by Paul Klee and dated 1920. Klee, of German-Swiss descent, wasn't in Paris in 1920, but I took the liberty of setting the family there and of giving the children names, and of course, naming the dog. (I think he looks like a Sandro, don't you?)

You can click on the image to enlarge it, or, the text is below.

Sandro

It would have been easier
to go to the photo studio
near the Galeries Lafayette,
but, no, no, Mama insisted
on a formal, painted,
family portrait. Oncle knew
someone who knew an artist...

Papa, rarely gets what he
wants--he wanted a boy.
He got four girls. The last
he named Georgette, as if
that would make a difference.
And now, Mama, toujours,
toujours, elle a mal à la tête.

Mr. Klee has his work cut out
for him painting the girls.
Suzanne is fourteen. Need
I say more? Look at her: hip
thrust sideways, arms crossed
barely holding in her spite.
Forever rolling her eyes!

Justine, heroine. Always
with her nose in a book.
Always her head in the clouds.
And, Mon Dieu, save us all
from Adélie. "Moi, moi, moi!"
Am I the only one capable of
keeping this family in line?

Stand up straight now and woof!

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved. Painting by Paul Klee (1920), courtesy The Athenaeum.

Happy Haiga Day!

Another in the occasional Hogarth School series. No need to explain this one!

Poem © Diane Mayr, all rights reserved. Artwork courtesy Hogarth Country Day School.

Poetry Friday--A Sign of Spring

Last Saturday, the Swan Boats of Boston's Public Garden opened for the 2014 season. The boats are a classic Boston tourist stop and have been in operation since 1877.

I'm sure you are all familiar with Robert McCloskey's Make Way for Ducklings and the role the swan boats have in Mr. and Mrs. Mallard deciding to take up residence in the Public Garden. McCloskey's book is how I first learned of the swan boats.

I read the news of the 2014 opening and this poem demanded to be written! Please note: this poem is not for a Make Way for Ducklings intended audience!

Click on the image to enlarge for easier reading. © Diane Mayr, all rights reserved. Early 1900s photo courtesy Library of Congress.

This week, Tabatha Yeatts is hosting the Round-Up at The Opposite of Indifference. You don't want to miss it!

Haiku Sticky #250

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Ekphrastic Monday Poem #3

After I finished the first two Ekphrastic Monday poems, I realized they were both about pets, so I decided to maintain the thematic tie.

Click on the image to enlarge. © Diane Mayr, all rights reserved. "A Funny Parrot" by Philip B. Hahs (1880), courtesy The Athenaeum.

I didn't set out to make the little boy so mean-spirited, but, one so young, who works for a pittance, can't be expected to be always gracious with his thoughts.

Happy Haiga Day!--Easter Edition

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.Illustration courtesy The Graphics Fairy.