Happy Poetry Friday!  

I have been on a Billy Colins kick lately. I just read both Whale Day (Random House, 202) and Musical Tables (Random House, 2022).

Collins, former US Poet Laureat, stirs the ordinary with a pinch of wonder and a dash of humor in Musical Tables, a collection of short poems. He discusses the short poem as a form and gives over 100 examples that make one think, smile, frown, and occasionally laugh aloud. It is a very quick read!

As I read Musical Tables, I started thinking about the mental images that poems inspire. It occurred to me that one could create a “reverse ekphrastic” by using a poem to inspire visual art. I snapped a few pictures inspired by poems from this collection, selected a few from my photo library, and even borrowed a couple from Wikipedia.

What do you think of these pairings? A picture follows each poem.

 

Limits

Even on a calm day
if you remain quiet
and hold your breath,

you still will not
be able to hear
the singing of the clouds.

 

I couldn't pick just one for limits because all of these clouds seemed to be singing, just different tunes...
 

 

Look

The morning lake
was smooth as a mirror.

A few angels were even seen
flying down

just after dawn
to check themselves out.


 

The Dead of Winter

We will all die
in one month or another.

Many of the above
left us in December

while others will stay on
to see in the new year.

 

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Trouble
was not
his middle name.


 

ENG 243: The History of Egotism

You will notice, class,
that Wordsworth did not write

“Edward, the butcher’s son,
wandered lonely as a cloud.”

[Photo: Wikipedia]

 Here is what Wordsworth did say.

 

New York Directions

It’s down
in the village
between
Bleek
and Bleekest.


 

View from a Bridge

I never thought
of myself
as a little universe
inside a big one
until just now.


 

Poetry Collection

They mutter
in the alleys of the city,

the old ones
who were not selected.


 

The Exception

Whoever said
there’s a poem
lurking in the darkness
of every pencil
was not thinking of this one.

 

Disappointing Freak Show

A bearded man,
a one-headed chicken,
a sailor with a tattoo,
and a three-legged piano.

 

All poems © Billy Collins, Musical Tables, 2022. Photos © Tracey Kiff-Judson unless otherwise noted. 

Please visit our Poetry Friday host, the patriotic, fighter-for-liberty-and-truth Denise Krebs at Dare to Care.

28 comments

  • Love these pairings, Tracey!! The clouds are my favorite -- just gorgeous!! The Wordsworth poem made me laugh. Collins is always a delight; I haven't yet read Musical Tables, so this post was a real treat. Thanks for all. :)
  • Tracey, I love these reverse ekphrastic poems. Your photos added to the poems and made me learn more. My favorite one was your hand holding the pencil. The way your hand holds it with the empty page makes me think of shoulders shrugging. Yes, indeed. Some pencils don't have poems lurking. :) I like Billy Collins too. I need to look for these two titles. 
     
  • What a fantastic idea, Tracey, your 'reverse' ekphrastic poems! I take so many cloud pics, as I see you must, too! I love them with the poem. And, like others, your Wordsworth made me laugh, too. You must have had a lot of fun doing this! 
  • Oh, day made (as Billy Collins is wont to do)! :D Your photo pairings are gorgeous too. Thanks for this dose of happiness, Tracey! 
  • Such a fun exercise, Tracey! 
    The Nevermores are reading Collins' WATER, WATER and so inspired by his narrative poetry.
    Might be hilarious to find some photos for some of them!
  • Tracey, this is brilliant! First of all, I'm a huge Billy Collins fan, though Musical Tables is NOT my favorite. Many of them offered to little (to me) for me to have much of a response. I think you've chosen some of the best ones, though, and the idea of reverse ekphrastic poetry is fabulous! The photos--from funny to gorgeous to strange--offer another way into the poems. Brava!
  • Wow! Love how the pairings feel fresh to me. Yes, reverse ekphrastic. I think you've invented something wonderful!
  • Tracey, as a fan of photography that tells a story, I was dazzled by your pairings. In college, I was involved in a nature hunt to find beautiful photos in the country that stirred emotions. I think I have those photos some place and I need to dig them up. Reverse pairings of photos to match poems is such an interesting way to proceed. Thanks for sharing this with us. Your clouds are amazing photos. Here are some of my favorites that had me reading and rereading the poem as I gazed into the photo: lone boat-I never thought/of myself/as a little universe/inside a big one/until just now- and Look. You opened my eyes to something new.
    • Thanks so much, Carol! I hope that you do find your nature hunt photos!! I bet they would inspire some wonderful poems.
  • You did an excellent job with the poem/picture pairings. I especially love the one with the clouds. I'm a cloud watcher for sure!  
  • I love the idea of reverse ekphrastic poetry, and I'm also a big Billy Collins fan. My latest read of his is WATER, WATER. So good!
    You picked some great poems to find pictures for. It's hard to pick a favorite, but I think when I look at your cloud photos, I can hear their different songs. Lovely!

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