Saturday, January 7, 2017

Sarah St Vincent Welch #1 The four seasons (Autumn) David Hockney Ekphrastic


shadow width pulls across the wood
it is a slow drive up the tunnel of trees

no bumps or ditches
a forever place and journey
loops

every twig and distal leaf in focus
here 
or there

the opposite of my uncorrected sight
connected panels, nine frames together
tell me I am out of focus
any time
faraway or near
my unspectacled
impressionist world
flows to abstraction

here
is edged and eternal cubism
the rainshine on the road
sunshine cast through branches

travelling
distance flowing towards me

autumn is my season
between

7 comments:

  1. the opposite of uncorrected sight
    -- that's a great title, great idea to work with

    distance towards me
    travelling
    too

    ReplyDelete
  2. actually reading this again
    I think the mention of art movements lessens the whole work

    maybe

    my unspectacled
    impressionist world
    flows to abstraction

    would be better without abstraction

    so

    my unspectacled
    impressionist world
    flows

    here
    is edged
    and eternal


    ...
    or something like that?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I like the presence of the word abstraction, grounds the poem. Without it, the poem is more abstract!

    ReplyDelete
  4. this is the real business

    our advice conflicts absolutely
    so the poem must find its integrity
    the poet must find voice
    in the minefield
    of opinion
    and of other people's stylistic assumptions

    two of my favourite Ezra Pound quotes ---

    go in fear of abstractions

    and

    what was the other one?

    good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  5. ... not forgetting of course that Pound was a complete nutter, not to mention admirer of fascism

    ReplyDelete

  6. Well... to me the word abstraction is fine, and I would be tempted to quote Nicolas de Stael: « Je sais que ma vie sera un continuel voyage sur une mer incertaine » (I know my life will be a perpetual journey on an uncertain sea)… and he was speaking about being a painter caught between figuration and abstraction… who wanted first to paint “la vibration du coup reçu” (the vibration of the received kick—or blow—meaning what’s seen) which seems very close to the lovely movement felt in this poem!

    ReplyDelete