The Versesmith

An   E levenie  is a short poem with just e leven words in five lines.  It is also called an E lfchen.  " E lf" is German for e leven, and "chen" is a term of endearment and denotes something small.  Each line in an E levenie has two specific requirements.  First, what words are used.  1 - a thought, object, color, etc. (some instructions list this as just a noun) 2 - what does that word in line one do? 3 - where is that word, or how is it? 4 - what do you mean by that? 5 - What is the result?  Second, how many words in each line. 1,2,3,4,1 The E ye of God , or   L’Oeil de Dieu , is not the title Salvador Dali gave this print, however it is the dealer title, or marketing name.  He created it for one of the illustrations in  The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini .  This is not from the book, it's a later print.  While some think " Oh!  A Dali print!  That's valuable! "  Not really....

E - Ekphrasis  Ekphrasis is Greek for " description ."  An ekphrastic poem is a description of a scene, most often from a work of art.   The image used may be part of the poem, or inspire the poet to go another direction.  My ekphrastic poem is what I see, a couple on a train, in this print by David  Wirkkala.   For all I know, it may not be a train at all!  The Train Ride They sit side by side yet miles apart. Leaning forward he distances himself. staring ahead, elbows on knees, jaw tightly clenched. She, turned towards the window, staring out at nothing, feigning interest in the passing scenery, clasping her clutch tightly in her lap. As intently as they ignore each other, I watch them. Is this their first conflict or their last? ©2024 Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved