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Tuesday, 25 October 2011

Missing the Leaf, Craving O'Keefe

I lost the morning
to an angry thought -

Bright leaves whistled by
without warning.

© Shaista Tayabali, 2011
Does that ever happen to you? When I lose the light this way, I try to recover it some other way. When the flat fenlands become too small, I try to imagine Taos, Albuquerque, Coyoacán. Skies like I have never seen, hot clarity that inspires this petunia
and this canna
Mind you, O'Keefe doesn't exactly look happy in her portraits, but who said anything about happy when you are astoundingly groundbreakingly talented? When Alfred Stieglitz cannot get enough of the very hands you use to create each singular sky flower, photographs them endlessly? When you are busy hooking the New Yorkers of the 1920s out of their skins and transforming their inner lives? Well? Would you rather be Georgia O'Keefe or enjoy Georgia O'Keefe? There's a movie out... tell you what I think, after....

at

9 comments:

  1. Jingle Poetry At Olive Garden26 October 2011 at 02:53

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Jingle Poetry At Olive Garden26 October 2011 at 02:54

    love this,

    very short lines, powerful message sent.

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  3. Cloudia26 October 2011 at 04:57

    and so you work out your salvation and talent day by day. . .



    Aloha from Waikiki;

    Comfort Spiral



    > < } } ( ° >

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  4. Chris G.26 October 2011 at 19:27

    An angry moment, a poor start, and the whole day can be tugged away from you...

    Yet in the leaves, in nature, we might find some solace, I do hope.

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  5. A27 October 2011 at 19:51

    I love the way you put words together.

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  6. A Cuban In London27 October 2011 at 22:41

    Don't care what the artist or author looks like but his or her work? Well, that's what matters. Beautiful poem. I hope you get that morning back... tomorrow :-)

    Greetings from London.

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  7. steven29 October 2011 at 16:40

    hi shaista - i think that appearing happy is an option. if it lends something to a moment then perhaps it's appropriate otherwise i can't help wondering if the happy mask takes something away? steven

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  8. 24h Pfleger4 November 2011 at 02:31

    Great! love this post.

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  9. Other Mary4 November 2011 at 16:52

    Yes, that happens to me. That's brilliant, so much packed into those few words.

    ReplyDelete