Art/Poetry Mash-Up: Fireworks

A poem and painting for Independence Day.

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Fireworks

The
Plunge into darkness

—

Of fireworks . . .

—

Is More . . . .

—

Than color and flame

—

Is the same

—

As

—

Adventure

—

In boredom.

—

To

—

Break Up . . . . . the

—

Staid

—

Similarity

—

Of
Sameness.

—

The
Endlessness —

—

Of
Endings.

—

Burst high –

—

Burst far

—

Light
My
Night

—

With
What
You
Are – .

—————

———

—

Fireworks
Oil on canvas, 24″ x 19.5″

Artwork and poetry copyright 2009 Bruce MacGibeny. All rights reserved.

See more art/poetry mash-ups:

• Art/Poetry Mash-Up: Marbles
• Art/Poetry Mash-Up: Contrast
• Art/Poetry Mash-Up: Change
• Art/Poetry Mash-Up: The Clock
• All Art/Poetry Mash-Ups

Sunshine

Immediately after yesterday’s poem about rain, the sun came out and has not gone away. (Just like when I carry an umbrella — guarantees a dry sky.) It is only fair to share this shining bit from an early poem of Bruce’s entitled “Happiness”:

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Happiness (excerpt)

…
…

Smile on, sun!
We never cease
……..Hearing you!
Like the
……..Wind that rips
The
……..Lily-of-the-valley
Course our spines
……..With
……..Yellow
……..Laughter!

—————

———

—

Copyright 2009 Bruce MacGibeny. All rights reserved.

RAIN

Endless rain here in the Northeast U.S., and more, including thunderstorms, on the way. (June may set a record for rainiest month in New York City.) Bruce recently told me that the rain doesn’t bother him at all. He has written many poems about rain, likely all while it was actually falling. For him it has always been just another aspect of nature to contemplate and be inspired by.
.

RAIN

…
The rain dripped

—

from the top
Of the window — —

—

To the window sill

—

In one — — —
Sheet of silver

—

Tapping a message

—

In Morse code . . .

—

That
Spelled ‘weather’ . . . .

—

Whether or not
You
Listened . . . . .

—

You
Could not miss
The
Drift . .

—

It
Kind
Of
Explained
Itself

—

Defined
Its
Function

—

Eloquently

—

Without
Equivocation

—

Not
Dissembling

—

Only
Reminding
You

—

Of
Other
Rains — .

—————

———

—

Copyright 2009 Bruce MacGibeny. All rights reserved.

Art/Poetry Mash-Up: GARDEN

Bruce has painted and written about all seasons in their many aspects. Spring in particular, with its themes of birth and growth and its profusion of color, has appeared in his work as a metaphor for artistic inspiration and expression. Casting himself as a gardener in the poem Garden and the painting Green Thumb, he makes plain his reverence for nature and its status as a source of his restless creative energy.

.

GARDEN

…
I
Am in my garden

—

Bringing out all the
Most
Ambitious plants . . . . .

—

To their full potential

—

Soil Smell haunts
My nostrils

—

The green perfume

—

Shatters
My boredom

—

Scatters it . . . . .

—

Across
The yard . . .

—

Pardoning the . .

—

Huge
Hydrangeas

—

AS

—

IT

—

PASSES

—

My boredom

—

Is gone

—

By the end
Of the day

—

Lost

—

In a

—

Paradise

—

Of

—

Growing
Things

—————

———

—

Green Thumb
Mixed media on canvas, 28″ x 14″

Artwork and poetry copyright 2009 Bruce MacGibeny. All rights reserved.

See more art/poetry mash-ups:

• Art/Poetry Mash-Up: Marbles
• Art/Poetry Mash-Up: Contrast
• Art/Poetry Mash-Up: Change
• Art/Poetry Mash-Up: The Clock
• All Art/Poetry Mash-Ups

Chorus

Chorus

The
Director
Of the chorus ——

—

Brings…

—

From their throats

—

Many choruses ——

—

Many choirs.

—

They
Expand….

—

As if planned

—

Into
An
Armada ———

—

Of
Angels.

—

Looping

—

Soaring

—

All
Convention
Ignoring

—

The
Gods
Imploring

—

Greatness
And
Goodness

—

And
All
Hail
The
King!!

—————

———

—

Copyright 2009 Bruce MacGibeny. All rights reserved.

DAWN

In this lean poem, with its few and carefully chosen details, Bruce captures the feeling of a new day dawning. His recognition of majesty in both the “great” and the “ordinary” is found here and throughout his art and poetry.

.

DAWN

Radiance of dawn

—

Sky of purest fawn

—

Heavens devoted

—

To the announcement

—

Of

—

A New day!

—

A bird

—

A distant
TRain whistle

—

Four plovers . .

—

Capturing
Seeds . . . . .

—

from the road . . . .

—

One car . . .

—

Coming
Down

—

The road

—

One
Listless
DRiver . .

—

A new day

—

A
Shiny
Silver dollar

—

Of
A
Day!

—————

———

—

Copyright 2009 Bruce MacGibeny. All rights reserved.

Perspective

Bruce’s compositions and use of color and texture in his paintings draw the viewer’s eye in and around the space he has created in the work. With its multiple perspectives — window, child, and us as readers — this poem has the same effect on the mind’s eye. It is easy to imagine the lively painting that could be based on this poem.

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Perspective

The
……Little
…………..Window

—

…………..Of the dollhouse

—

. . . Looked in on

—

…..Min
…..Min
…..Min-ia-tures

—

Looked Out . . . . .

—

On

—

A

—

Huge . .
Smiling
Face!

—

That looked in . . . .

—

And
Out

—

FRom its
OWN
Perspective . .

—

On a world

—

More bright

—

Than the
Pale
Illumination

—

In

—

The

—

Dollhouse —

—————

———

—

Copyright 2009 Bruce MacGibeny. All rights reserved.

Art/Poetry Mash-Up: Marbles

After years of mastering his craft of oil painting, Bruce began to embrace mixed media. His new technique ranged from using various wet and dry art media (like oil and acrylic paint, pastel, and pencil) on the same canvas, to creating paper collage and assemblage incorporating everything from magazine ads to actual metal paint tubes to strings of Christmas tree lights.

Those three bright spots above the bottle in the still life painting below? Clear glass marbles. It is easy to see why they appeal to him; they are shiny, reflective, smooth, yet just disruptive enough to the picture plane to excite the eye. Their shape is echoed in the grapes on the table and their light is mirrored by the dollops of gold paint on the lower right edge. He may be depicting a still life, among the most traditional and popular subjects in painting for centuries, but the marbles are part of what makes this his still life. Bruce’s delight in his materials is evident in both the poem and the painting that follow.

.

Marbles

Crystal
…..Marbles . . .

—

On . . . .
…..The.
……….Table

—

Playing . . . . .
…..With the light

—

AS
…..If
……….It

—

.. . . were a marble!

—

The whole . . thing

—

Round
Various
Pointillist
Pontification

—

Seen

—

And
Seizing

—

The
Global Aspects

—

Come
Down

—

To this:

—

Bliss on a table

—

In the middle

—

Of May!

—————

———

—

Still Life
Mixed media on canvas, 20″ x 14.5″

Artwork and poetry copyright 2009 Bruce MacGibeny. All rights reserved.

See more art/poetry mash-ups:

• Art/Poetry Mash-Up: Contrast
• Art/Poetry Mash-Up: Change
• Art/Poetry Mash-Up: The Clock
• All Art/Poetry Mash-Ups
  

REFUGE

Henri Matisse, one of Bruce’s strongest artistic influences, famously imagined art as “rather like a good armchair which provides relaxation from physical fatigue.” To Bruce art has many functions, primarily to lift the spirit. He has said, “To me art should do more than merely represent things. It should give direction, motivation and, hopefully, inspiration.” However, he also acknowledges the simple comfort that it provides, a refuge from the often harsh human condition. In this poem, he accords this power to the work of Robert Frost, one of his favorite poets.

..

REFUGE

.

In . . . —
Confusion

—

………I . . . . .
Entered

—

The
………Room . . .

—

Elaborate chaos . . —

—

Seemed Everywhere.

—

The back stair

—

Leading Out . . . .

—

Of the place

—

Was
Blocked.

—

I
Drew a bead

—

Aimed myself

—

At a
Distant shelf

—

And
Spotted

—

A book of
Robert
Frost’s
Poems

—

And, At last

—

Felt
At
Home.

—————

———

—

Copyright 2009 Bruce MacGibeny. All rights reserved.

TEA

Recent news about anti-tax “tea parties” brings attention to tea itself, which was already enjoying new popularity. Although Bruce favors coffee, he clearly can appreciate the charm of its less-caffeinated counterpart.

…

TEA

Thin . . .
And thinner

—

The tea bag . . . .

—

HoldS

—

The secret . . . . .

—

Holds

—

The
Two things

—

That go to make

—

A Cup              of tea.

—

You

—

And me.

—

Together

—

We
Sip

—

And

—

Stir

—

And note how

—

ConverSation
Reflects the
Sweet amenities

—

Of
Home-brewed

—

Sacrosanct

—

Never
Bitter

—

AS

—

Life

—

Can be.

—————

———

—

Copyright 2009 Bruce MacGibeny. All rights reserved.