Category: Art


Scopophilia

‘brought into being by nothing other than the look’*
using poetry to stitch the seams, painting them with vitreous enamel
burnishing golden orbs of beauty, enhancing the visual field
to make the world seem habitable
inherently empathetic to human existence
when does the illusion, this disembodied utterance,
enter firmly into the realm of futility?

philosophical argument merely hints at a promise of liberty
floating upon the surface of psychological experience
a convincing conundrum that won’t unlock
inner barriers to designing boundaries of self-definition
societal viewing provides ample opportunities
to manifest cognitive dissonance, reinforcing the brute
that omniscient spectator-god within the man

feminine artistry is required to remain comfortably incarcerated
chaos churns with near indomitable force
why fight when you are forever outnumbered?
control may simply be a part of the disease
disempowering internalization of the oppressor’s abuse
replaying his semiotic position as the maker of meaning
whom I know is never she, never me

called into existence through the male gaze, the internalized observer,
objectified and exploited by possession and protection
filming my every move in art house cinematic style
encircled in an ouroboros of scopophilia
blinded to feminist themes, it traps what’s possible
entangling these hands, bloodied with struggle
incapable now of creating and preserving identity

scraping molded forms to sharpen focus
no spiritual value arising from inherent worth
only sculpting my usefulness in a deterministic role
voyeur’s fantasy allays the weight of moral consequences
fixing upon the screen the sanctioned story
i am a dissociated, breathing pleasure toy, imaginary signifier,
an unintentional participant living in a heightened state of unreality

*Christian Metz, French film theorist

Linked to dVerse Poets Pub’s Open Link Night here: http://dversepoets.com/2012/01/31/open-link-night-week-29/. Please join us!


unshackling the joists of reality
déraciné slips a hypnopompic state
transports me to deepest fantasy
grenadine elixir hastens my fate
Polia’s vesica piscis forms the gate
reminiscent of Poliphili’s eros
an architectural treatise verbose
theory of linguistic anaphora
proportions mirroring grandest pithos
illustrating the incunabula

restless night devolves, mystic artistry
all defenses breached dragons lie in wait
global aphasia compounds mystery
declarations of love illuminate
witnessed in the temple we celebrate
disgorgement of erotic tempests close
sexual politics, habile pathos
right to expression passion’s nebula
vocalizing my abandoned logos
illustrating the incunabula

festal oblation, sensuality
jubilant gesticulations vibrate
blissful outcries of sexuality
my pleasure center forces activate
some yet imagined being inchoate
power to surreptitiously enclose
capturing my desire overdose
engaging a lustful hyperbola
accentuated fetishes repose
illustrating the incunabula

subsumed reason in a upturned cosmos
the dream mathematically jocose
its apt felicific parabola
etching these in fantastical lithos
illustrating the incunabula

Gay Reiser Cannon issued quite the challenge for today’s Form for All at dVerse Poets Pub on French Ballades http://dversepoets.com/2012/01/26/formforall-french-ballades-i/. Follow the link for an excellent article on syllable count, rhyme scheme, stanza length, and tone.

terricolous vulnerability

(definitions and notes at the end of the post)

wind beats, tears tree limbs senselessly
awakens me at two
progressively earlier, as if getting a head start will make it worksecret self enters a prime neologism
(double edged word)

flashes of the road to Hāna
arriving alone on the black volcanic shore
25 foot waves threaten crisis
crepuscule floats atop the violence

enantiomorphic noctilucent clouds appear as hierograms
somnifacient, auriferous divine projections

cover letters must be written
(logical/sequential marches in the margins):
Dear Board of Directors: I am uniquely qualified to bring your organization into the next phase of its nonprofit lifecycle. With seven years of progressive experience as an administrator I’ve quadrupled the budget, secured more than a million dollars in support, collaborated with hundreds of organizations, partnered with corporate donors, provided measurable outcomes for vulnerable populations…

(dear reader, do you know anyone who needs an Executive Director?)

packing boxes! thoughts invade this sanctuary of art,
all my treasures will be (hidden)

polymythical fractious storylines colliding
synchrotron beamlines branch
as abstract futures smash up

i contemplate my tragic flaw

she reminds me i’m capable, intelligent, creative, functional, witty, lovely
believe the list! win                        fight                 perform                wow              charm               hedge                  prove!
oh and they all say i’ve been through so much worse                                                                                                            (this never helps)

kerfs mark raw silk, ripping
tactile encounters are disasters of percipient stratum
yet i was so open, orgasmic (blush)
tracing your words (thought artifacts)

undertow gains potency – i withstand the pelting rocks – deafening roar
poetry swirls, th e   l    i    n   e   s         w   o     n  ’    t      c         o       n           n           e             c                 t
4………………3…………..2…….1
melodies disenfranchise

lingual possession thieved
corrugated smells intrude, demanding
thoughts dropped                                                           jagged edge
up

i’m an imperfect processor with selection bias
questing for an oracle of algorithms
deciphering code
delineating borders

i smile but lick my canine
press to feel solidity
the rage to master won’t rescue this poem
from the brink
of disintegration

pandect induces bradycardia – NO!

where is the intricate architecture?
you can’t build a civilization without infrastructure
life invades organically
intermingling traumas, visions, and vistas

(it is four in the morning)

tender phylogeny
an imposed or inherent order?
steel girders at wrong angles
concrete poured outside the mold

(WordPress keeps undoing my formatting,
stealing all the spaces!)
who needs self-conscious poetry?

reality stalks like a zoo panther
stuck, stuck travelling the loop
loop my loop
loop my loop

my terricolous vulnerability
(liminal space)

who comes every day                                                                         to loop my loop?
to make me face Brutality Between the Lines
damn lines that don’t connect

i redraw with new colors, open ensō
what does it mean
(do you know what it means?)

my pocket atlas is written in symbols
metaphrastic selenography
buried under ethnolinguistic axioms

i’ve become a sojourner
within my own cultural schema
a foreigner at home

Notes/Definitions: neologism: 1. A new word, expression, or usage. 2. The creation or use of new words or senses. 3. Psychology a. The invention of new words regarded as a symptom of certain psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia. b. A word so invented. 4. TheologyA new doctrine or a new interpretation of scripture.; Hāna: is a census-designated place (CDP) in Maui County, Hawaii, United States. The population was 2,291 at the 2010 census. Hana is located at the eastern end of the island of Maui and is one of the most isolated communities in the state. It is reached mainly via the Hana Highway, a long, winding, 52 miles (84 km) long highway along Maui’s northern shore.; crepuscule: twilight; enantiomorph: 1. mirror image, form related to another as an object is to its image in a mirror. 2. either of a pair of crystals that are mirror images of each other, and are optically active. 3. (chemistry) A similar molecule or compound; an enantiomer.; noctilucent clouds: tenuous cloud-like phenomena that are the “ragged-edge” of a much brighter and pervasive polar cloud layer called polar mesospheric clouds in the upper atmosphere, visible in a deep twilight. They are made of crystals of water ice.; hierogram: sacred writing or a sacred character or symbol.; somnifacient: causing or inducing sleep.; auriferous: containing gold.; nonprofit lifecycles: 1. Grass Roots – Invention 2. Start-Up – Incubation 3. Adolescent – Growing 4. Mature – Sustainability 5. Stagnation & Renewal 6. Decline And Shut-Down (as conceptualized by Speakman Consulting Firm); polymythology: A combination of a number of stories in one narrative or dramatic work.; fractious: tending to be troublesome; synchronotron: a particular type of cyclic particle accelerator in which the magnetic field (to turn the particles so they circulate) and the electric field (to accelerate the particles) are carefully synchronised with the travelling particle beam.; tragic flaw: defect in hero’s character that causes downfall; kerf:  a slit or notch made by a saw or cutting torch; percipient:  1: one that perceives 2: a person on whose mind a telepathic impulse or message is held to fall; stratum: 4. one of a series of layers, levels, or gradations in an ordered system <strataof thought>; disenfranchise:  to deprive of a franchise, of a legal right, or of some privilege or immunity; selection bias: (2) selection of samples or studies by researchers to support a particular hypothesis.; algorithm: In mathematics and computer science, an algorith is an effective method expressed as a finite list of well-defined instructions for calculating a function. Algorithms are used for calculation, data processing, and automated reasoning.; pandect:  2. A complete body of laws; bradycardia: slow heartbeat; phylogeny: The evolutionary development and history of a species or higher taxonomic grouping of organisms.; terricolous: living on or in the ground; Liminality is a psychological, neurological, or metaphysical subjective state, conscious or unconscious, of being on the “threshold” of or between two different existential planes, as defined in neurological psychology (a “liminal state”) and in the anthropological theories of ritual by such writers as Arnold van Gennep and Victor Turner.; Brutality Between the Lines is one of my poems (found here http://chromapoesy.com/2011/08/05/brutality-between-the-lines/); Ensō (円相) is a Japanese word meaning “circle” and a concept strongly associated with Zen. Ensō is one of the most common subjects of Japanese calligraphy even though it is a symbol and not a character. It symbolizes the Absolute enlightenment, strength, elegance, the Universe, and the void; it can also symbolize the Japanese aesthetic itself. As an “expression of the moment” it is often considered a form of minimalist expressionist art.; metaphrasis: the practice of making a literal translation from one language into another.; Selenography is the study of the surface and physical features of the Moon. Historically, the principal concern of selenographists was the mapping and naming of the lunar maria, craters, mountain ranges, and other various features.; ethnolinguistics: a field of linguistics which studies the relationship between language and culture, and the way different ethnic groups perceive the world.; axiom: 1. a self-evident truth that requires no proof. 2.a universally accepted principle or rule. 3. Logic, Mathematics. a proposition that is assumed without proof for the sake of studying the consequences that follow from it.; Cultural Schema Theory (Nishida, 1999) explains the familiar and pre-acquainted knowledge one uses when entering a familiar situation in his/her own culture. Cultural schemas for social interaction are cognitive structures that contain knowledge for face-to-face interactions in a person’s cultural environment. Schemas are generalized collections of knowledge of past experiences that are organized into related knowledge groups; they guide our behaviors in familiar situations. Cultural schemas do not differ from other schemas, except that they are shared by certain cultural groups rather than individuals (Garro, 2000). Schemas unique to individuals are created from personal experiences, whereas those shared by individuals are created from various types of common experiences (Garro, 2000). Cultural Schema Theory proposes that when we interact with members of the same culture in certain situations many times, or talk about certain information with them many times, cultural schemas are created and stored in our brain (Nishida, 1999)

Composing Space

This is the final behind the scenes piece at Chromapoesy. The pictures were taken this morning from my home on Conifer Mountain.  Here is my music workspace; I compose a little at the piano but mostly at the computer desk on Finale software. My shelf contains all my sheet music and various instruments from around the world. The flute case and stand are on top. The piano is where I practice singing for performances. On top of the piano to the far left are the ashes of my beloved dog, Buddy. The dog in the pictures is the first dog I’ve ever had from puppyhood, she’s a German Shepherd/Golden Retriever mix named Jody (after my grandmother). The home theater and 16mm film camera/projector are included as I am often inspired by soundtracks and film to write music. Also, I’m a huge cinephile, you can find my film recommendations here http://chromalexicon.com/recommended-cinema/. Pictures from outside the music area are included as nature is another source for all my creative outlets. Thank you for peeking into what it takes to write, paint, compose, sing, and create at Chromatopia. There’s a link here to listen to one of my cinematic compositions Lago di Garda: http://chromasymphonic.com/2011/06/26/lago-di-garda/. For my books and other work spaces follow these links http://chromapoesy.com/2011/11/07/studio-pictures/ & http://chromapoesy.com/2011/11/04/the-great-book-caper/.

Protostellar Phase (repost)

(This is the first poem I posted when I started blogging back in the summer.)

We were standing in the
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Here are painters who want to communicate
They show up on their canvases
Emotive, sensual, engaging,
Pouring over the edges with ideas

They are Hydrogen, capable
Of the complex chain of reactions
Required to fuel a galaxy
Rauschenberg, Mitchell, de Kooning
All Hydrogen molecules
Dancing, spinning, arguing
Contrasting the inert gasses across the hall
Nonreactive as Krypton,
From kryptos, “the hidden one”

It is actually a skill,
This art of invitation
Creating works capable of fusion
Viewer, artist, and painting,
Conspiring toward explosions
A dangerous, naked,
And frightening proposition
Can you blame the countless artists,
Hiding behind flat surfaces,
Incapable of combustion,
Unable to make the invitation?

Studio Pictures

Another reveal at Chromapoesy, this time it’s my studio. You can click on pictures for a larger view. The remaining part of the studio is a giant blank wall where the pieces too big for the easels get stapled up. For those of you that missed the bookshelves post you can read the titles of the books more clearly there and see many additional books along with my writing desk, the post is The Great Book Caper http://chromapoesy.com/2011/11/04/the-great-book-caper/.

Blue Topaz

Nuanced colors blend at the edges of life’s evanescent charms
indanthrene glazes enhance new vistas of potential
epiphanies arrive with liberty’s lustrous promises
azure tinted joy intoxicates in a rush of prismatic images
redrafting dividing lines, reigniting passion
no illusive flash, a vitreous engagement drawing near

Deep hues meld with opalescent internal reflections
creating an interplay of luminous delirium
oceanic forces arouse a state of awakening
serpentine words spoken in a moldavite tongue
smear stardust and gold on opal’s dreams of intimate nights
twinning amethysts abiding in bliss
blue aspect iolite appeals

Mysterious pendeloque cut topaz lotus
each facet refracting as divinity sparks an inner fire
labradorite depths of preternatural intensity
shatter unity, existing outside all conceptual thought
you arrive in my mind whispering supernal metaphoric symbols
mythic love piercing like acicular crystals

Pleochroic moonstone circles beneath dendritic formations
escaping censorship in a space where language fails
under the spell of a long awaited mystical merging

Notes: Topaz is derived from the Sanskrit tapas, meaning fire. ‘Heaven is always a place of gems’, Aldous Huxley. The poem owes a debt of gratitude to David Batchelor’s excellent book Chromophobia. It is linked up for Victoria’s Poetics prompt at dVerse where we’re exploring color: http://dversepoets.com/2011/11/05/dverse-poetics-play-with-color/.

Mutual Response

for the artists Olly & Suzi (& the animals)

Mutual Response (click to hear the poem read – sorry for the gravel in my voice, I’ve just regained it after illness)

First there was a line
grace like the breeze
broken and jagged as the earth
smeared with the essential,
clay tainted with sweat

Hand over hand artistic collaborators
paws and hooves animals imprint
bite, scratch, slither a chaotic contribution
intense encounters in the wilds
artists alongside predators in situ
drawn in charcoal, pigment, sepia,
mud, berries, sap, dye, ochre,
sunder ink, rock ash, and blood

Borneo, Nepal, Alaska, the Galapagos
geography defined by one species
charting the dividing lines
bounded territories a Great Escarpment
bleak prophesy portends tales of
timber wolves and cheetahs on the hunt
sketching bloody prints trailing Namib sands
hostile places leading to an inner seeing

Transfixed by snow swept plateaus
Katmai grizzly bears, Mkomazi blue lions
watercolor turtles swim under painted leviathans
enrapturing Cousteau’s angels
heart of darkness beats in black tiger while
Champa Kali charges down a dusty path
and orcas move through the great silence

Adrenaline’s anaconda twisting around
the shark cage of inspiration we see now
with eyes wide to awe and terror
melt water becomes a roaring stream
impregnating the romance of the landscape
fear’s thunder rumbling through impenetrable forests
ice crystals form within the vigil of deepest knowing
dead fox, oryx skull, and scarlet raven calling
spirit pounds in the chambers of conch shells

the story is the wind
it comes from a far off place
and we feel it
as outlaws demarcate
these lines of extinction

Inner Animal (for Olly & Suzi) 2007 Mixed Media on Paper Anna Montgomery

To find out more about the collaborative artists Olly & Suzi and see their artwork go to http://www.ollysuzi.com/. They have a book out about their work called Artic Desert Ocean Jungle. This poem owes a debt to Joseph Conrad, ‘An empty stream, a great silence, an impenetrable forest.’ from Heart of Darkness & to a San Bushman ‘The story is like the wind, it comes from a far off place, and we feel it.’

Posted for the amazing poetry community dVerse Poets Pub for Open Link Night http://dversepoets.com/2011/10/25/openlinknight-week-15/ come join us!

Inside the Picture

 
from The Color of Pomegranates

for Sayat Nova and Sergei Parajanov

Before the monastery in Haghbat
prior to the Persian invasion
and death’s black end
that finished my singing

I was the master of song
my love a passion overflowing
the vessel of our lives
birthing poetry

Harmony realized through
creative energy
my beloved books
become the tools of your seduction

Handmade poet’s lyre
turning the inlaid handle
tuning my instrument to your key
each strum upon the body
brings me closer
to the essential

You work the threads of my childhood
Its color and aroma
into the lace of your purity
through you I discover my grace

A gentle wind streams silk
I am the wandering nightingale
burning this white rose for you
water flows over stone
in the Turkish bath of my desire

‘I am careful with your mouth, you speak in fables…’

We players now imbibe love
skipping, drumming, whirling
as we empty our vessels

‘How am I to protect my wax-built castles of love
from the devouring heat of your fires?
You are fire, your dress is fire.
We were searching for a refuge for our love;
instead we found the land of the dead.’

Prodding the lion with a stick
the vultures eye orbs
life’s fragility a globe of glass
tossed in the air, harbinger of
midnight horses and animal hides
antlers and barren branches

Peacock drinks from your lips
muskets fire above your still breast
your death cements my longing
spurs me along the path
lined with stained rubies

The walls of the mausoleum
preserve the tattered ash
of my words
you exist only here, abandoning us
an encaustic imprint
of the dramaturgy of color

Memory shifts the frame of consuming passion
moves me with its rhythm
you wove the lace of death
its visage conceals my pain
your shells upon the black vase

Death obscures your almond eyes
I cannot recognize you
or see my image reflected within

The peacock cries in the window
I will follow you through the black door
though I am cloaked in your colors
I am forbidden to enter now –
blind to the source of my life
I wait for the Persians

‘Who took my mind? I did not see the magician.’

Sayat Nova was an Armenian poet/troubadour (1712-1795) born Harutyun Sayadian in Tiblisi. Sayat Nova means ‘master of song’. His wife, Marmar, died leaving him with their four children. He was killed during the Persian invasion. All quotes are translations of his poetry. Sergei Parajanov was a Soviet Armenian film director. His film The Color of Pomegranates is based on Sayadian’s life. He was banned from making cinema for 15 years following its release for putting aesthetic concerns over ideology.

Linked to dVerse Poets Pub an incredible online poetry community – if you want to join us please click here  http://dversepoets.com/2011/10/18/open-link-night-week-14/

Three little haiku

SUUPAA FURAFFII (Super Fluffy) (c) 2004 Yumiko Kayukawa

SUUPAA FURAFFII (Hatsu Yuki)
for Yumiko Kayukawa

seal hunter polar
bear losing traction on ice
is human at home

Pan-Chan the Elephant by Chinatsu Ban

 Superflat Elephant Blues (Atsusa)
for Chinatsu Ban

piercing wit reveals
elephant sagacity
hidden enigma

Fight with Tako (c) 1999 by Aya Takano

 Survivor (Kasumi)
for Aya Takano

blue octopus ink
deimatic display acts
counter maneuvers

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