Saturday 23 May 2009

POEM: Ella

Ella

flautist with brick-brown
curls twisted in snail
shapes; up close, she whisks
a scent of spicy ginger

from Wales – Cardiff or Llandudno,
I don’t know which. With a tiny
waist and squirrel eyes that dart,
surprised. Her chatter

rolls in ripples – excitable,
kooky. She pecks an apricot
while peering at me through
pale glassy greys...

in the lens of my camera
I glimpse the shadow of nipples
pressing cotton vest, as she leans
against the wall nibbling, munching

after some minutes, with a silky laugh
she offers a fork and says: ‘Yolanda,
come have some sushi.’ I uncurl
from my stoop, release the shutter
of the digital, and accept the invite.


Catherine Mark

18 comments:

TERI REES WANG said...

An enchanted moment of distorted proportion..?

Strawberry Girl said...

Love how this weaves the imagery, but I don't know if I want to hang around with a pecking squirrel type creature. ;p

Unknown said...

You paint a very beatiful portrait of Ella in this poem. Well done!

gerry boyd said...

This so wonderfully freezes a moment with a delicate and sensitive crispness.

"she whisks a scent of spicy ginger"

one line that resonates

Cynthia said...

Wow...wow. You have blown me away again, Catherine. Elegant description, each word leads to
the next, nothing wasted.

Chuck Dilmore said...

awesome depiction!
love how you slowly unwind the events!

it's soo... Catherine!

LORENZO said...

Of course I don't know this woman, but your unique descriptive writing teases and filters her personal, much like a special lense for a camera. All the best, LL

Rogue said...

brick brown curls; a scent of spicy ginger; squirrel eyes; pecks an apricot; My, such vivid imagery Cath! I picture her as a tiny waif, bounding with unbridled energy! The photographer retires, but the picture remains. Lovely Cath:-)

Lilly said...

Aw, how lovely. I think I would like a silk laugh. Makes me all warm inside that poem. Thank you Catherine!

Printemps said...

’ I uncurl from my stoop, release the shutter of the digital, and accept the invite.'

Lovely words...

Linda S. Socha said...

Love the way you wind in and out with your lovely words Cath. I can smell the ginger
Linda

Anonymous said...

Sing-song piece, Catherine. Nice mood and imagery. Bright and happy details.

Cherie/ Butterfly Dreamer said...

I loved this, the way it unfolded before me.

Unknown said...

I agree with Cristopher, this is a beautiful portrait!
Thank you for the allways nice comments on my blog.

Vancouver, Canada said...

Hi sweetie..Very nice Poem!

I have a new URL for my Canada Blog

http://2010-olympics-vancouver.blogspot.com/

Much Love, Sandy x

Anonymous said...

hmm... i like this, this is very much my style of poetry. I am Aretha a new author and poet on the block. your blog looks really interesting and i hope to get up to date with all your posts real soon!!!

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Anonymous said...

Catherine,

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a wonderful comment. I look forward to reading more of your work. This is a very creative piece, so full of imagery. A personal peak into a shared moment of friendship. My impression is that it appears you describe "Ella" as an elegant bird even though she is very much human, capturing her thru the lens of a camera like a photographer. Very nice.