Adventure in Exphrasis

A couple of weeks ago I went to a brilliant poetry workshoprun by the charming Joan Fleming,  whose first collection 'The Same as Yes' was published by VUP last year.

Held at our avant garde Blue Oyster Gallery as an extension  of an exhibition entitled Caves Are Made of Rock But Not This Cave  featuring large pastel/pencil works by  Sian Torrington to which Joan and Rachel O'Neill  had collabortatively written repsonse poems to, the main focus of the 90-minute workshop was first Deletion poems and then Ekphrasic poems.

 Exphrasis poems are a poetic response to an existing image or artwork which was a new process for me which primarily involved being lead, closed-eyed, right up to the drawings, opening one's eyes and writing down the first visceral/emotional burst that came into your head.

In my case such phrases as 'dense and dark' , 'candied-striped river' and 'silver wonder-wall' sprang to mind.

 I then constructed into an actual poem by using, in my case, the linking word 'always'.  Here it is:

When we find ourselves in dense
dark places let us
always dream instead
of the dancers
at the Follies-Bergere

Their beak-like legs
tapping out questions
the twitchers know
the answers too

Always on time
always in a line
a glittering silver
wonder-wall
of candy-striped
plummage

Cresting a wave
of skirts
rising
always rising.

It was great fun and an energising new way to look at an exhibition.
Only next time I need to go in the first few days, so I can write and share a responsive poem in time for anyone that's interested to enjoy the artworks as well.