A poem inspired by Picasso

Mary's recent postings remind me of the important ways that poets are influenced by art.  I offer here the opening poem of my new collection (Red Has No Reason, Plain View Press, 2010) -- it came from my viewing of a sequence of several drawings by Picasso, works that progress from a carefully detailed ink drawing to a sketch of a few lines that, with extreme brevity, also gives us the bull.

     How Did It Come to This?     by JoAnne Growney


     Prints on exhibit walls—
     notions of a bull by Picasso,
     whose clear eye directed a deft hand.
     Careful likeness becomes surreal
     design then sketch
     and in the end
     a few fine lines.
     Poems also we make
     by erasing.

Red Has No Reason

Mary's postings this evening have reminded me that I want to share with you all the news of my new poetry collection entitled Red Has No Reason -- the publisher is Plain View Press and the book is also available (discounted) at  amazon.com.  The final poem in the collection, from which the title is taken, is:

      Aurora Borealis

     As there is no purpose for violet,
            there’s no purpose for purpose.
     As there is no order for orange,
            no order exists.
     As green escapes gravity
            and indigo invites inertia,
            as blue begs argument
            and yellow fails to yield,
     As red has no reason,
            reason is repealed.
                                                                       JoAnne Growney 2010