Her life is mirrored in the bird:
grey with a touch of crimson
in the parrot’s crest and feather tips,
and her unsmiling lips.
Red’s lucky for some,
but she is a captive,
tamed and longing to fly
beyond blue curtains to sky
and leaves, green as the bowl,
from which she sips her tea,
and green as her envy
of the parrot’s wings.
Kim M. Russell, 15th October 2024
Le Pho (1907-2001), Femme au perroquet (Lady with A Parrot) (1938), ink and gouache on silk
For this week’s Poetics at the dVerse Poets Pub, Melissa is our host, and we are celebrating the art of Le Pho, a Vietnamese artist born in 1907, which she discovered at Sunnyside’s blog.
Melissa gives us a background to Le Pho, and a selection of his paintings. She says: “I think what initially drew me to his art was the composition and technique he used in creating subtle detail. Many of his works possess a certain surrealistic quality. There is much to be explored.”
Our challenge is to select one of the artworks she has chosen (from Sunnyside’s blog), and write a poem that blends ekphrasis and theme (women, flowers, landscapes or family).
writing in north norfolk 
Oh we liked the same image, but went in different direction, love her envy of the parrot’s green.
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Thanks Björn!
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I find the thought of her life mirrored in the bird fascinating, Kim. And I love these lines and the way they’re written, specifically the space and then the ‘leaves’:
“tamed and longing to fly
beyond blue curtains to sky
and leaves..”
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Thank you, Melissa.
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I really don’t know how you can do that — bring a picture alive in verse like that. Is not the first I have seen you do that, and tonight I tried hard but really just cannot, without making it sound like a guide. So very beautifully done again Kim.
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I’m blushing, Ain. What a lovely comment.
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What a fascinating poem of jealousy, Kim! The bird doesn’t know it isn’t free. The woman knows she can’t be free.
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Thank you, Nolcha.
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Love the mirror metaphor, the woman feeling tamed and captive and ready to fly. Beautiful interpretation of the painting Kim.
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Thank you, Grace.
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This image is speaking to several of us tonight. I do feel she longs to fly. A wondrous perspective of the artwork.
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Thank you, Truedessa.
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Very nice poem, Kim.
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Thank you, Dwight.
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You are welcome.
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Perhaps all pets are in some way objects onto which we project things about ourselves, whilst they all unwittingly live out their contained lives, Kim, very well done…
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Thank you, Andrew. I think I do with my cats.
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This is wonderful, Kim. A most intriguing approach as she is slowly revealed through the bird and details of the painting.
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Thank you, Mish!
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A delightful interpretation of his artwork, Kim!!! I hope one day she is able to “fly”.
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Thank you, Helen!
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I like how you compare their destinies, the girl and the caged bird.
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Thanks Jane. x
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Wonderful piece Kim, well written — very alivet… 👍🏼✌🏼
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Thank you, Rob.
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Love what you did here, Kim. She is caged while the bird is free.
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Thank you, Punam.
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You are welcome.
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ahhh, yes, she wants to fly. LOVE!
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Thanks Ren!
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Lovely poem! 🦜
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Thank you!
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