The Circus With the Yellow Clown, 1967, Marc Chagall
The thing about Marc is how many works he has given the world...google his images *click here* and let yourself meditate on his work in page after page of color. You will see, no doubt that his is a language of the heart.
Payback Is Hell
Oh I don't really
know how to go from Russia
to France - perhaps march
west into the guns?
Napoleon's army came
east and then they failed
in the winter snow.
So did the black Nazi slime.
Me, I will pay back
the bastards with work,
with my torrent of color
and my long strange lines.
May 20, 2012 10:55 AM
So the annular eclipse passes my area today in the late afternoon. I read in one source that my area will be left with about 26% of the sunlight in a crescent at maximum. They say it stays bright but goes cold. Unfortunately as is typical of Portland at this time of year, the rain pattern approaches and the clouds are back after many days of sun. How far south must I go? Going south pulls the eclipse toward center so that the remaining sun is a ring around the moon's shadow. Well, old friend, it's just a moon shadow. Who cares anyhow? *sniff*
Posted for The Mag - link *click here*
I can confirm, the cold that goes with an eclipse is creepy, to say the least - as are the birds which fall silent...
ReplyDeleteChagall did have a journey in his life, he used it for good and left us some amazing art, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteit is pretty amazing the work that he produced...i like your take in your verse as well....it made me smile....
ReplyDeleteI like the historical connections you have included here. I also very much like Chagall's body of work. Thank you for sharing, Christopher. =D
ReplyDeleteNow I feel compelled to say, 'I'm being followed by a moon shadow..." Great write too, I like the direction you went with this. Art trumps war!
ReplyDeleteWe just finish with the eclipse here too and enjoyed the thoughtful read I had here.
ReplyDeleteWe sniff after the eclipse is through? May be some truth in it. Good way of a historical connection of Chagall here. Appreciate the prose write-up which are rarities. Great write Chris!
ReplyDeleteHank
We sniff after deciding it's only a moon shadow, moooon shadow, moon shadow. As far as that goes, I thought of adding Cat Stevens to the post. I figured it was too obvious even for me. :P
ReplyDeleteI do like how you went with this, and all the added information about the artist as well....and to imagine how he began....and how he lived, and felt...or dreamed....in all left for us to view today!
ReplyDeleteYes! Who indeed cares? Loved this
ReplyDeleteHugs
SueAnn
I like that you wrote about the artist's life and journey in your poem. Nice response to the prompt.
ReplyDeleteI missed the eclipse too. Sigh.
Love the history here...and it sounds so very nice read out loud...by the way I'm hoping your zeroes left at my place are a good thing...(0) confuses me...
ReplyDeleteBit like Faulkner giving the world southern sentence construction?
ReplyDeleteTess, that's blogese for a hug in the circles I travel. I could've written (((Tess))) also.
ReplyDeletexoxox
Payback with color ~ brilliant.
ReplyDeleteThe eclipse kinda creeped me out.
ReplyDeleteYour poem did the opposite.
=)
Thanks for the excellent poem and for the information about Chagall, and your vision of his use of free lines and colour an 'antidote' to the 'black slime' of Nazism. An unusual but very strong interpretation of the prompt, and as has been said, it expresses hope.
ReplyDeleteCommiserations in missing the full effect of the eclipse. Maybe you should have taken your Lear jet to Novascotia! :-)
here we go again with the damned anti robot puzzle.
The whole thing tended south. The exact line crossed the west coast of the USA just south of the border of California and Oregon. The exact line then sank to the south as it headed east and ended up in New Mexico or some such.
ReplyDeleteExcellent informative post Christopher and thanks for the 'click.'
ReplyDeleteVery interesting colourful work - I feel he must have painted his clown on an 'off' day, judging by the quality of the rest.
Anna :o]
Thank you for the info, and the poem! :)
ReplyDeleteAnd for explaining (o) !!
Anna, my understanding, the clown was an intended poster background for advertisement and was supposed to be simple in color and sparse in content so as not to detract from the words.
ReplyDeletethis is the best kind of revolution i know: Me, I will pay back
ReplyDeletethe bastards with work,
with my torrent of color
and my long strange lines. this is not only the strength of your poem, and it is, but it is the strength of your living, isn't it, christopher?
xo
erin
:D
ReplyDelete(((Erin)))
i like how you wrote this about Chagall and not about the painting the way everyone else (including me) did...
ReplyDelete