A Day at Frye Art Museum

  If you live in the Seattle area or you think you might be in town soon, you should make sure to make time to visit The Frye Art Museum.  Not only did I have a very enlightening workshop in ekphrasis facilitated by Susan Rich and another wonderful woman named Lilias (I unfortunately can’t locate her last name)but I also had a chance to become better acquainted with art in Seattle.  If you’re a poet or someone who loves books/poetry/art and are also a teacher, check out the Tim Rollins and K.O.S.: A History exhibit.  It will inspire and excite you when you see what art and education can do.

Just in case you are knew to the term Ekphrasis, Susan gave us the following wonderful definition:

Ekphrastic poetry is a written response to a visual painting, photograph, dance, sculpture, Ikea catalogue, Childs drawing, or bumper sticker.  An ekphrastic poem begins with inspiration from another piece of art with the understanding that art begets art.

--Susan Rich

I wrote a little poem that was inspired by the painting The Bride, by Marc Chagall, 1953.  Anyway, here’s the poem feel free to read and comment.  Blessings!

Child Bride

by Ieisha McIntyre

Papa said it would be simple

And momma said it would be quick

The first night with my old husband

That I did not pick. 

He chose me.

It was an honor that could not be refused.

My sisters gathered white flowers, washed them with their tears.

My aunts dressed me in red, with a white veil.

I thought only of my nanny goat and how well I kept her fed.

She never gave me worries or wandered from the yard.

Even when the gate was open, she had no need for exploration.

It would be too forward. 

Her milk never failed.

When she saw me come her way, her bleat was more a melody – so much so, that on that day, when the village musicians did play

–        my nanny goat from the dowry cart

Did express her heart and sang along.

Simple and quick.

All Rights Reserved © 2010

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.