It’s Day 6 of Paul Brookes’ Special January Ekphrastic Challenge. My poem today responds to all three works of art. If you click the link, you’ll see the poems by other poets. Some have written poems for each work of art.
Kerfe Roig, “Blue Whale” 
Christine O’Connor 
-Marcel Herms “Het leven van een groot zondaar”
Does What Happened by the Lake Stay There?
There we gathered
wishing for fish,
fishing for wishes
this is—
a dream, I say.
Here by this winter lake,
three versions all of me–
each facing in a different direction,
future, past, and present
in the distance, cradling,
hills indistinct, the haze surround us,
Am I awake or asleep? I see a huge blue tail.
How can this be? A whale.
Is this omen or vision, for the sinner that is me?
I feel sharp wolf claws upon my back,
and when I wake, I see their tracks.
Yesterday and today: Merril's historical musings 
This is a mystical one! I wonder what a vision of a whale symbolises?
I’m sorry to have missed this challenge, the art work is gorgeous 🙂
Thank you! I have no idea what a whale vision symbolizes. Maybe Kerfe knows. 😀
The artwork is gorgeous. It’s mostly abstract–so to me, it is both challenging and open to wide interpretation.
It’s more varied, I think than the last challenge. I like what you’re writing.
Thank you very much! 😀
🙂
I like this one, Merril. The opening made me think of Dr. Seuss! 🙂
It’s not what I was going for, but thank you, Jill. 😀
I know, but sometimes my brain just goes to strange places! 🙂
As does mine–as you’ve seen. 🤣
Reblogged this on The Wombwell Rainbow.
Thank you, Paul.
There is absolutely no way I can’t read a poem with the title “Does What Happened by the Lake Stay There?” Very mysterious mood too with questions, hypothetical–though maybe not.
Thank you, Marian. Your comment made me smile. I thought the image with the figures was mysterious. If you’re asking if I had this dream, the answer is no, I did not. 😀
Wow, fabulous.
Poignant, Merril.
Thank you, Resa.
There is so much that comes in threes. I like all the tangents you’ve conjured here and then woven together. Whales always conjure some unbounded and ancient song to me. But I painted it because they are so beautiful. (K)
Thank you. I didn’t even think that much about the threes, but of course, you’re right. Whales are beautiful.
This is amazing! Glad to be a part of your blogging community!
Thank you very much!
I, too, enjoyed the title – and the poem 🙂
Thank you, Derrick. 😀
You dream as I do. Flying on whales’ tails and trying to keep the wolf tracks behind me.
Thank you, Pam. It’s not a real dream, simply a response to the prompt–though I do have some interesting dreams. 😏
Yes, I was thinking metaphorically. Just last night I was driving in the bathtub, up in the air. 🙂
😀