I saw a poem in a painting, but haven’t put it together yet

Brittaney Mann

My visit to the Tate Modern Museum on Monday was an experience that I wish I could describe, but honestly just like sitting in as I remember it. I really enjoy modern art — even the white canvas that had two drops of paint on it (that was probably my least favorite piece in the museum, but I still enjoyed seeing it). looked at pieces on the first floor because I took too long looking at each one. The pieces I did view and experience on that floor where enough to make me enjoy that visit. I like the emotions that the artworks evoke; I do not think any of the pieces exists outside of eerie worlds, and I like that. 

My favorite piece was Deification of a Solider by Yamashita Kikuji. I attempted to write an ekphrasis poem about it before looking at the title and description, but I am facing writer’s block. I have included an attempt at that poem later in the post; it is not what I wanted it to be, but I at least wrote something and that is the first step. The other exhibit I enjoyed was Quarta-Feira de Cinzas / Epilogue 2006 by Rivane Neuenschwanderand Cao Guimarães. I really like seeing art that shows how animals and people interact in ways that we do not notice all the time.

We also saw A Midsummer Night’s Dream on Saturday, and that play was very entertaining. I was very surprised about how much interaction there was between the actors and the audience. The part that shocked me most was when Demetrius told the audience to move as he exited the stage. It created a weird aura that the characters know they are being watched but are still existing in their lives and living through true events. I also loved how progressive and diverse the cast was. It was very cool to see so many types of people represented in a play that once was recited by predominately white men.

At some points I wondered if the breaking of the third wall a bit was too much. Two spots that I questioned it were when Puck guides the crowd to dance and when the band plays their instruments to scare the sleeping lovers to awakening. I could accept the Puck situation because the character was always putting people in a trance, so the play allowed for that space. The involvement of the band in that case did seem a little too far, but because it was short it does not distract too much I do not think. Overall, this play was worth my time and sitting on the uncomfortable wooden bench. I was very entertained and loved seeing a play that confused me when I read it come to life in a less confusing manner. 

Thinking about how a painting made me feel

I could tell you there’s silence

but I’d be lying, I could

tell me a vision

put words to the fiction 

that is a canvas, a projection

tangible imagination 

I don’t know how to respond to this painting

I said I would, I knew I would, what I wanted

I saw a poem in this piece
I think maybe it was the teeth

so many teeth, the teeth are ribs

bodies, blobs, a bird, a butterfly

the canvas is a scream

the canvas is togetherness

togetherness of a wound scabbing

fused with cotton pants, bone-like

ghost-like, skull-like, mesh

mash, squash, mosh, squish, mush

mainly, I saw layers of life and nature

brought down with war we’re one creature

on one creature, screecher

I should tell you there’s silence

but I’d be lying, I should

put diction to the vision