Poetry Bus : Tumulus

The Poetry Bus has rolled into town again, this time under the peerless driving of TheManHimself, Mr. TotalFeckinEejit.

A few nice options on the prompt - including some class sepia photos. But I went for the audio prompt - a track from Van Morrison's Veedon Fleece. Which reminded me of the Golden Fleece, which reminded me in turn of Jason & The Argonauts, who were sometimes call Minyans, who, I discovered, were a prehistoric Aegean tribe, who also made use of that familiar feature of the Irish landscape - Tumulus graves. To wit.....


Tumulus


Lying senseless under sun
troubadours emerge at night
to citizens of twilight trading
fading hues of bottled light

I stir, the world beside me wakes
creaks on her scale beneath
the measure of diurnal pitch
each trace a blessing, firing

livid, time initiating space
from no mere spark, instead
an ember coaxed to flare,
two mysteries refracted there;

a song from time beyond recall
a voice built new from broken things


© P Nolan 2011

You can read some more responses to this prompt HERE.

Poetry Bus : Amber

Not being all that bloggerly of late, it's been a while since I posted something in response to a Poetry Bus prompt, but this weeks's prompt by 120 Socks caught the imagination. The combination of photo and word sparked off some kinda scenario and voice, resulting in the following - hope you like it.


Amber

All the missing days went down and met the rest of my life
gliding in that morning on the clearest skies money could buy
I began to cook with foggy disregard for the outcome

by the time my first guest arrived I had already begun to swoon
coming around each time to spit the metallic taste from my mouth
and scrape off the burnt offerings now clouding the kitchen

beginning again beginning again beginning again
like the audio track set to loop in the limited seating area
seemed the best chance of breaking through charred surfaces

with my home now full of people I could only hold my place
as crowds swam around me, those people asking questions
seemed to be in the minority, most were complacent

while some were advocates, extolling the benefits of exiting
or building a mezzanine or turning off the heat
others ate, glared, belched, smiled, kissed, fucked

it was all I could do to stay on my feet and even sleeping upright
I kept one eye open because I knew that if I went down this time
there'd be nobody, possibly even no thing to share when I awoke

so it was ordained.



© P Nolan 2011

Loads more responses to the prompt here.

New Artwork : UPSTART

UpStart is a non-profit arts collective which aims to put creativity at the centre of public consciousness during the Irish General Election Campaign in 2011. I originally planned to submit something from my archives, but then decided to create something new. I've been pretty busy since the holidays, so only got around to it this week, with the deadline looming. (Funny how deadlines can focus your mind like that.)

The images above are 2 versions of the artwork. The first is what I submitted in the end, but the one below it (with the scruffy type) has a lot of energy too. I guess I just felt that - as the image would compete with 'actual' election posters for attention - it needs to work as a strong, simple graphic. Also, I wondered if the very dark hand was a good idea, as it could possibly be misconstrued as some kind of racist invective? Which it ain't.

So, I'd be interested to get your thoughts? Did I send them the right one? Should I let even more scruffy type feature in my graphic work? Have you been upended by any large hands lately?

PS. This artwork (or rather the earlier version of it - from before I changed my mind) also features in the monthly round-up of work from IGI illustrators over on the Scamp blog.