A Poetry Prompt: The Ekphrastic Experience

Have you every walked through a gallery and an artwork hypnotized you where you can't help but look and it leaves you will certain feelings? Well, these poets have captured these feelings and placed them into poems. 

I like reading other's experience or vision about an oil painting, photography or film especially when different poets write a poem on the same artwork.  Breughel’s Icarus has inspired poets like W.H. Auden and William Carlos Williams. It is always interesting to read the poem produced from the impact that the artwork had on them.

 I like seeing how the poem relates. Then again, it may not even relate as the artwork could evoke a feeling that the poet explores. This is one of the reason that I like encouraging poets to write Ekphrastic poems. It is a different form of a prompt. Prompts are great as starter fuel for the mind and many websites offer writing prompts such as 

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/poetic-asides/poetry-promptshttp://poetryprompts.tumblr.com/http://www.creative-writing-now.com/creative-writing-prompts.html

These sites were the first three results of my Google search for terms "Poetry Prompt"  so I have another poetry prompt for you. 

1. Register by November 23, 2016 - form and more details at http://www.browardartguild.org/docs/BAG-Call-For-Poets-Small-Works.pdf
2. View art work between Nov. 23rd and Dec. 3rd during regular business hours to select an artwork as your inspiration.  (Gallery will be closed Thursday Nov. 24th & Friday Nov. 25th for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Gallery closed Sun., Mon., Tue.) 
3. Email your poem to info@BrowardArtGuild.org by December 7th @ 7pm.

This kind of poetry prompt has produced many poems including some of the poems in the anthology "Bards of Broward: The Courtyard Chronicles" 

"The Last Inhabitants" by yours truly inspired after viewing an acrylic painting "Lizards in Space" by Cynthia Inkleburger.
"Abuelita En Havana" by Shawn Jackson inspired by painting of same name by Lourdes DeWick
"OH Shucks" by Shawn Jackson inspired by photograph "Aw Shucks" by Ken Harrison.
"In Black and White" by Meryl Stratford based on a black and white photograph of a foot in a ballet slipper.

I like when art and poetry share a space and I hope you like it too!

In the meantime, here is my own artwork with its poem

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