And so…

I emerge, face first,
from vertical brushstrokes

daubed like a rainstorm
of bright colours.

You might think I’m dressed
as Harlequin, but you’re wrong –

I am arrayed,
dismayed,

fighting my way
through pulsating oiled emotions,

scented with linseed,
tickled with brushes,

waiting to open my eyes
on the finished portrait.

Maybe I will be finished.
Maybe I will recognise myself.

Kim M. Russell, 15th January 2026

Mme Kupka among Verticals 1910-11 by František Kupka

It’s Thursday and, at the dVerse Poets Pub, time for Open Link Night with Lillian. I love the optional ekphrastic prompt with a painting entitled ‘Mme Kupka among Verticals’, painted in 1910-11 by František Kupka.

21 thoughts on “And so…”

  1. LOVE what you’ve done with this painting! In some ways, we were thinking in the same plane. These lines I am most smitten with:

    “I am arrayed,
    dismayed,

    fighting my way
    through pulsating oiled emotions”

    Hope to see you Saturday, Kim!

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    1. Thanks very much, Lill. I won’t be around on Saturday. I’m still struggling with Mojo’s death – we picked up her ashes today – and I shall be spending the afternoon with a friend who also recently lost a cat.

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  6. This is absolutely exquisite, Kim! Wow! I am especially moved by; “I am arrayed, dismayed, fighting my way through pulsating oiled emotions.” ❤️❤️

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