Tag Archives: ekphrastic

Koi in a Bucket published at Spank the Carp

Posted on 2021/08/02 by Bartholomew Barker

Nearly a year ago, Spank the Carp held an ekphrastic contest where we were given an image to inspire our poetry. I thought I’d give it a try and while I didn’t win, the editor asked if he could publish … Continue reading →

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Guernica

Posted on 2020/05/19 by Bartholomew Barker

This evening I attended a NCWN online workshop on ekphrastic poetry, lead by Maureen Sherbondy. She offered several famous paintings as prompts and one of them was Pablo Picasso’s Guernica. I’ve been thinking about the Spanish Civil War a lot … Continue reading →

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Pre-Modern

Posted on 2019/09/02 by Bartholomew Barker

We erected statues to those leaders who inspired or enslaved, back when things got done. There was a kind of progress— armies marched to kill, factories produced and polluted. It was a simpler time, when a nation’s wealth was calculated … Continue reading →

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Gauguin

Posted on 2019/02/04 by Bartholomew Barker

Gauguin returned from painting naked south seas women to tend his friend Van Gogh. The painting turned out better than his ministrations. Perhaps our present crisis will propel us to a better future of worldwide topless tropical beauty. A mango … Continue reading →

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The Rule of Three

Posted on 2018/03/26 by Bartholomew Barker

The March edition of the Tongue & Groove featured an ekphrastic challenge where we were to write a new poem or song based on one of the pieces in the VAE gallery that serves as host to the open mic. … Continue reading →

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