"When dawn spreads its paintbrush on the plain, spilling purple... ," Sons of the Pioneers theme for TV show "Wagon Train." Dawn on the mythic Santa Fe Trail, New Mexico, looking toward Raton from Cimarron. -- Clarkphoto. A curmudgeon artist's musings melding metaphors and journalism, for readers in more than 150 countries.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Life in the desert...

Watercolor, 7 x 8
140 pound Kilimanjaro paper

A favorite poet Billy Collins, poet laureate in America  from 2001 to 2003 has a new book out, just when I need it, an oasis in the Sahara of my soul, not writing, not painting..

Susan bought the book for me today, "Ballistics," with her graceful handwriting inscribing it to me as a surprise gift, and this hard-nosed old newspaperman began reading, searching for answers, and astonishment, which is Collin's' gift.

Much to share here, but his muse infected my muse, to write and paint. Here are lines from his "The Great American Poem":

..."this is a poem, not a novel
and the only characters here are you and I
alone in an imaginary room
which will disappear after a few more lines... .

"I once hears someone comapre it
to the sound of crickets in a field of wheat
or more faintly, just the wind
over that field stirring things we will never see."

I've not tried to paint poetry before...sound to light, but I wanted to try because I inhabit that imaginary room with him, as I hope you do with me when you look at this.

5 comments:

  1. love, love, love Billy Collins! I see a trip to Full Circle in my near future now!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think we need to organize an Okie bloggers meeting--let's not call it a convention, where we can meet, eat, burp and share ideas? What do you think? Want to try it sometime this summer?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great idea! I was just about to write "when do I get to have coffee with Clark?" Perfect timing.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I was looking at this painting when my youngest daughter came in and said, "Is that Jesus looking at his reflection in the water?" Guess it's true - we see what we want to see. Kind of gave me chills. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Loving the poem and the painting. Wonderful idea.

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.