It Started with Storybooks

My much-worn, original copy of The Bumper Book. I still love the illustrations.

[Archived from spring 2020]

What started? You think I’m going to say my love of reading or my wish to write. Yes and yes, but this blog is about my early love for art. “The Owl and the Pussycat” and “Wynken, Blynken, and Nod” were fun to listen to, but it was the pictures that I went back to again and again, both before and after I could read the words. Naturally I loved reading from the start, but I was also a bit disappointed to leave storybooks behind. Weren’t you? (Of course, I didn’t really abandon them. I still love both them and animated movies, and I don’t have children as an excuse.) 

When I began reading very long books, I missed the pictures so much that I sought out the Illustrated Classics from the library. Mama taught me to love books, but she had little use for art. I wore out the section on Painting in the World Book, because we had no art books. During high school, art books began appearing on my Christmas and birthday lists. This meant sacrificing clothes! This was serious!

 From My Daddy to the Father of Impressionism, Claude Monet

Water Lilies by Claude Monet, the Father of Impressionism, is one of the leading men in my poetry.

When I began publishing poetry, most of it was about childhood memories. Both my parents died near the time I moved to Kansas City. I left everyone I knew, except my beloved husband and cat, behind. Poems are a way of keeping my parents close and introducing new friends to my past. I wrote a new family poem this week, but the flow of those has slowed. Now, when I’m stumped for a topic, I most often turn to art.

Even though Monet gets more mention than any other painter, I’ve discovered that stranger, less figurative art, abstracts, surrealism, and even ancient artifacts capture my writing imagination more than portraits or scenes that already tell their story on the canvas. No rule is 100%, so I have written poems about John the Baptist and Salome, but what excites me most is looking at the art, probably several times over several days, and wondering, “What could I possibly say to THAT?” Even better is when I tell myself, “No, no, that one is beyond my reach,” only to find my Muse saying, “Think again!” In my 20s, I learned that spending more time with avant garde music leads to deeper appreciation. The same goes for art.

EKPHRASTIC – an Adjective Meaning Inspired by Art

Here’s another perfect time to thank The Ekphrastic Review, an online journal that pairs art and the writing it inspires. Editor Lorette C. Luzajic, star of my last blog, awarded me a 2020 Fantastic Ekphrastic Award. I was not only honored and inspired by the award, but felt encouraged I was on the right track.  

http://www.ekphrastic.net/ekphrastic/the-fantastic-ekphrastic-awards-2020

When Angels and Friends Collaborate

Because I spent the holidays cooking, overeating, and diving into my Christmas books, my writing wasn’t getting the attention it deserved. An angel to the rescue! My friend R.E.D., Richard Eric Disney (Eric to me) has been sharing his host of angels on Facebook since he retired from Hallmark Cards. I knew that someday I’d find myself writing to one of them.

This angel, quirky enough to jumpstart my holiday brain, called. I answered, then asked Eric’s permission to submit his art with my words to The Ekphrastic Review. Hallelujah, he said yes!

Ink and watercolor by R.E.D., Richard Eric Disney. To see the full backstory and Eric’s biography, click here. 

https://www.ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrastic-review/angel-of-showing-up-by-alarie-tennille

Angel of Showing Up

Titles matter too much in your world.

Go ahead – laugh. I’ve had other positions. 

Miracle Worker – now there’s a title to impress.

Everyone loves a miracle. (Just so you know, 

lottery money is not a miracle.)

Putting one foot in front of the other 

can turn into a miracle. Everyone suffers

through days when they don’t want 

to get out of bed or leave the house, times 

when they feel family or friends slipping away 

and can’t see that they are the ones 

backing out the door. 

Can’t you remember when you moved 

to a new school in third grade? How the kids 

said you talked funny and had cooties? 

How many times did you pretend you had

a stomach ache? 

When did you last sit down to dinner 

with your whole family?

The thing is. Some people ask for help

and some don’t understand that they need it.

I just show up to observe and listen first.

I’ve got a blue bird on one shoulder and bunny

on the other. People seem to sense their vibes 

before they see them.

Since you’re talking to me, I know Bun

and Blue will materialize soon. Tell me 

if you see something different. I may need 

to call for backup.

© 2020 Alarie Tennille. First published by The Ekphrastic Review