For Day Eight of Paul Brookes’ Special January Ekphrastic Challenge, my poem responds to all three works of art below.
-Marcel Herms “I don’t like to travel” 
-Christine O’Connor 
-Kerfe Roig “Dancing Tree Of Life”
The Dance
An unlikely traveler,
with no longing for adventure,
only a desire to live without fear.
Money exchanged, his life rearranged–
one suitcase and a view
of storm-chased clouds and waves like horses,
galloping toward a hazy horizon, somewhere ahead
perhaps, there’s a quiet island, a house
with windows looking out on azure sky and singing seas,
golden-downed ducks and geese
with bicycle horn honks—he laughs, it would be
a dream, he thinks, as a whale breaches–and
for a moment they are eye-to-eye,
connected, branches of the same ancestral tree–
all of us–swaying to a universal rhythm.
Shuffle, slide, snap, and with jazz hands twirl,
smile. Tilt your head, in wonder
of the world. He wants the dance to continue.
Yesterday and today: Merril's historical musings 
Yes, that’s right, we’re all swaying to the universal rhythm. Hard not to really when you have Kerfe’s collage staring at you!
Yes, you’re so right! 😀
Reblogged this on The Wombwell Rainbow.
Thank you, Paul.
You’re more than welcome, Merril.
Thank you very much, Jill!
It’s amazing to me how Paul manages to match the images…this is a particularly good one I think. And your combination works beautifully. That quiet island is very appealing right now. (K)
Thank you. That quiet island does sound appealing. I didn’t know if all of you artists were numbering your images or if Paul was doing it, but you’re right that they often match together in some fashion–or at least I’ve been finding connections.
Delightful! I’m swaying along!
Thank you! 😀
🙂
Another fine musical piece. ‘Geese with bicycle horn honks’ is wonderful
Thank you, Derrick. The bicycle honk was what I thought of the other day when I was walking, and I thought I must use it in a poem.😀
🙂
Love this, Merril. ♥
Thank you, Robin!
I love, love, love this poem!! It expresses my fondest dream in the best possible way.
Thank you very much, Liz.
Do you mean to travel?
In my head, the poem actually began as a story of a refugee fleeing–and hoping for a better life, but not at all certain.
You’re welcome, Merril. I meant to have the freedom and the headspace to indulge myself in this particular daydream.
Ahh-thank you for the clarification. 😀