Christina's World by Andrew Wyeth
I enjoyed the poetry and paintings lesson so much that I decided to choose another painting and write a poem based off of it. I almost never look at formal art on my own, so after that lesson, I appreciated the inspiration art can provide so much more than I did before. I have always loved to go to art museums, but I had never really stopped long enough at one exhibit or item to really focus on it, analyze it, and try to decipher what story it is trying to tell. Once I did that for the first time in class, I was amazed at how easily inspiration from a single painting came to me. Now I think that looking at paintings will be a great strategy for me to get new inspiration and ideas for my poems when I have writers’ block.
I had seen Christina’s World before and that’s why I chose to use it as inspiration for another poem. I find it so interesting because the girl at the forefront of the painting, who I assume is Christina, could be laying in the grass and looking at the house in the distance for any number of reasons. We all know I really like things that are open for interpretation, and most art is, but I also liked how Christina’s World depicted something realistic. I mostly write narrative poetry that often tells a realistic story, so abstract art is a little bit harder for me to grasp in order to write a decent poem from it. Anyway, here is the story I envisioned when I looked at the painting.
Connected
Breathe in
Breathe out
HEAVE for air
NEED oxygen
She ran all night in nothing but her nightgown
They had only been penpals as of yet
So far when she opened every envelope yet so close when she examined the address
So she ran all day and all night just to get to him
A pal that had become more the more she penned
Breathe in
Breathe out
So close yet so far
Her heart raced both from running and from sheer anticipation
She would soon meet her one true love
Breathe in
Breathe out
HEAVE for air
NEED oxygen
She fell
In love
She collapsed
From exhaustion
On his sprawling acreage of green grass
So close yet so far
She was numb
Now she knew what it felt like to be him
Little did she know how connected they were
He in a wheelchair for the past 20 years of his life
The doing of a freak accident
His limbs stricken numb forevermore
She struck down by exhaustion for more than 20 seconds straight
Collapsed like a freak of nature
Hoping to be loved by him forevermore
On the eve of what would've surely been a glorious first encounter
Likely to have felt like a reunion of old friends and infatuated lovers
Little did she know how connected they were
So close yet so far
"Breathe in... breathe out" the doctor whispered
HEAVE for air
NEED oxygen
He fought all night in nothing but his nightshirt
Sincerely,
The Art Appreciator
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