Ekphrastic April, Day 30: "Reverie"

We started the month with dreams and we will end it with dreams. Thanks for stopping by to help celebrate National Poetry Month 2019!

"Reverie" (date unknown) by Évariste Carpentier [1845-1922].

summer day dreams

she needs no guides
to their interpretation

the light of the sun
is her spotlight and she
is the star of the show

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

A cherita is a haiku-like poem of three stanzas that tells a "story." The first stanza is one line and sets the scene. Stanza two is two lines, stanza three is three lines. A cherita terbalik is a cherita with the order of the stanzas rearranged.

Ekphrastic April, Day 29: "Tea Time"

"Tea Time" (1920) by Alice Bailly [1872-1938].

they meet for tea

at first the conversation
barely a step above gossip

the pot emptied refilled
emptied again until words
that must be spoken, are

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

A cherita is a haiku-like poem of three stanzas that tells a "story." The first stanza is one line and sets the scene. Stanza two is two lines, stanza three is three lines. A cherita terbalik is a cherita with the order of the stanzas rearranged.

Ekphrastic April 2019, Day 28: "Joan of Arc"

"Joan of Arc" (1879) by Jules Bastien-Lepage [1848-1884].

does a just god pick sides?

visions and voices
should be doubted mightily

if you follow a visionary
you may be a participant
in her delusions

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Thanks to Linda Baie for suggesting this work.


A cherita is a haiku-like poem of three stanzas that tells a "story." The first stanza is one line and sets the scene. Stanza two is two lines, stanza three is three lines. A cherita terbalik is a cherita with the order of the stanzas rearranged.

Ekphrastic April 2019, Day 27: "Ogunquit Beach"

Ogunquit, ME is one of my favorite places. The beach is as expansive today as it was a century ago when this was painted. Only the outfits on the beach-goers have changed.

"Ogunquit Beach" (date unknown) by Elizabeth Wentworth Roberts [1871-1927].

Ogunquit Beach

a continuous roar of waves
and the wailing of gulls

the giddiness at having
found the remnants of boats,
bottles, and bivalves

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Here are a few photos I took over the years at Ogunquit:

Photos © Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

A cherita is a haiku-like poem of three stanzas that tells a "story." The first stanza is one line and sets the scene. Stanza two is two lines, stanza three is three lines. A cherita terbalik is a cherita with the order of the stanzas rearranged.

Ekphrastic April 2019, Day 26: "The Manicure"

"The Manicure" (1929) by Christopher Wood [1901-1930].

sacrébleu!

she has a ragged nail
that must be fixed--now

the only good light
is the desk where I read
my paper--just not today

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

A cherita is a haiku-like poem of three stanzas that tells a "story." The first stanza is one line and sets the scene. Stanza two is two lines, stanza three is three lines. A cherita terbalik is a cherita with the order of the stanzas rearranged.

Ekphrastic April 2019, Day 25: "Study of a Cat"

"Study of a Cat" (1918) by Suzanne Valadon [1865-1938].

an artist needs a cat

for its role as painter's
soul mate--a comic, a critic,
a comfort, and a model

--not for the tail dragged
across a wet canvas

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

A cherita is a haiku-like poem of three stanzas that tells a "story." The first stanza is one line and sets the scene. Stanza two is two lines, stanza three is three lines. A cherita terbalik is a cherita with the order of the stanzas rearranged.

Elphrastic April, Day 24: "Pouring the Morning Coffee"

"Pouring the Morning Coffee" (1906) by Laurits Tuxen [1853-1927].

April morning

cat fed, children
nearly finished, too

breakfast's last duty
is to pour a cup of coffee
for no one else, but me

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

A cherita is a haiku-like poem of three stanzas that tells a "story." The first stanza is one line and sets the scene. Stanza two is two lines, stanza three is three lines. A cherita terbalik is a cherita with the order of the stanzas rearranged.