For Paul Brookes’ Special January Ekphrastic Challenge, Day Eighteen, I’ve responded to all three works. This was a difficult one for me.
-Marcel Herms “Bookpage03” 
-Christine O’Connor 
-Kerfe Roig “Red Madonna”
The Future not Preordained
The cities flame, glass ceilings shatter,
and people scatter into the ever after–
violet, yellow, rose-petal pink,
the gleams bounce from steel beams, then stream
through the streets
where the red Madonna flies, sighs to rise
from the turquoise and the sandy brown,
her hair aglow under moon-antler crown—
she sees the past and future, the sight, the sound
of all around,
what might, what could be—
a sea of lapis-wings, flutters, and stings—
what might they bring?
Nightmares built from midnight fright—
or twinkling diamonds of the night.
Darkness ever-present–and the light.
Yesterday and today: Merril's historical musings 
Reblogged this on The Wombwell Rainbow.
Thank you, Paul.
I like the way the words flutter, back and forth, dark to light. More owls?
Thank you! Owls are probably a given. 😀
🙂
Lovely, Merril. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Jill!
I like the last 3 lines especially. This is the world right now. (K)
Thank you. Yes, the images all had that feel (at least to me).
This has an apocolyptic feel to it, with an undercurrent of uncertainty more so than hope. Defintely the stuff of nightmare.
Thank you, Liz. I think Marcel’s work (at least for this challenge) is nightmarish, and the red Madonna painting was not comforting either. 😀
You’re welcome, Merril. I’ll have to see what today’s ekphrasis will bring!
😀
Which one will win? A little of both, I should think.
I think you’re probably right.
🙂
Marvellous use of rhyme
Thank you so much, Derrick.