Longing for the Riviera - Memories inspired by a painting

Any picture can tell a story

And any story can create a picture

 

     On the wall of my guest room hangs a framed poster of a tranquil and romantic work executed by Pierre Bonnard—Table Set in a Garden.  Bonnard painted it circa 1908.  But the setting is timeless. 

     One can almost feel the delicate warmth of sunlight filtering through the greenery, nearly inhale the fragrant freshness of the air.  It makes me want to take a deep breath and slowly let it out, releasing all my tensions and relaxing in the perfect moment. 

     And it recalls to me some wonderfully similar settings I found in various ports of call several years ago while cruising the western Mediterranean—Monte Carlo, Italy’s ports of Livorno, Civitavecchia, Naples, and Sorrento, as well as Palma and Valldemossa on the Isle of Mallorca.  What a fabulous trip that was.  The sunshine, the air, the flowers – bellisimo!

   

     Unfortunately, back home here there aren’t nearly so many lovely casual outdoor cafes where one can enjoy a brief respite and a cup of coffee.  We have very few such charming retreats in which to spend a refreshing pause while out shopping. Well, at least that’s true if one tends to do one’s shopping at the mall!

“No one can understand the truth until he drinks of coffee’s frothy goodness.”

~Sheik Abd-al-Kadir

 

Photo by Hank Kellner

Longing for the Riviera

  

Coffee in the food court

amid plastic potted palms         

fast food and flashing neon

in the air conditioned mall

lacks the carefree charm of

Pierre Bonnard painting - Table Set in a Garden, c.1908

latte at an open air café  
in the dappled shade of trees
on cobbled streets
lined with cottage shops.


There's really no comparison.

                                                          

                              ~Elizabeth Guy

                                                                               

     No comparison indeed.  And the food!  The Mediterranean cuisine suited me to a tee.  Pasta, roasted summer vegetables, fresh fruits, cheeses, crusty Italian breads—and the wine!  Let us not forget the wine. 

     I dined like a pincipessa on that cruise.  Scrumptious!  And the best part was that I actually lost a few pounds on that vacation.  Mediterranean magic! 

What pictures do you have that recall a fabulous experience?

                                            

                                    

 Coming next week...

Summer daze

Also, visit my co-author's blog at http://hank-englisheducation.blogspot.com

See his ten-part series on photo prompts to inspire writing at http://www.creativity-portal.com/prompts/kellner/

And Don’t Miss…

            English teacher Mara Dukats and writer-photographer Cynthia Staples’ poems “white on white” and “The Absence of Color.” They’re in Part Four of Hank Kellner’s  twelve-part series THE POWER OF PHOTOS TO INSPIRE WRITING at the Creativity Portal  website http://gazette.teachers.net/gazette/wordpress/hank-kellner/using-poems-and-photos-to-inspire-writing-part-4/,  as well as Anna J. Small’s writing assignment in "Viewing and Writing about Photos from Around the World"

            Also, read more about Reflect and Write in the SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL http://www.slj.com/2013/03/curriculum-connections/meeting-the-ccss-through-poetry-professional-shelf/

Another Helpful Source for Inspiration

For more photos and information not included in this blog, please visit http://www.prufrock.com/Reflect-and-Write-P1752.aspx. Reflect and Write contains more than 300 poems and photos; keywords; quotations; either “Inspiration” or “Challenge” prompts; a “Themes to Explore” section; a “Twelve Ways to Inspire Your Students” section; a special “Internet Resources” section, and more. Includes CD with photos and poems from the book. Reflect and Write: 300 Poems and Photos to Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner and Elizabeth Guy (Prufrock Press, 2013), 153 pages, $24.95.

Childhood Dreams and Growing Up - in photos, prose & poetry

If one picture is worth a thousand words,

can one picture inspire a thousand words?

     Well, this photo by Hank Kellner inspired at least forty words in poem form that tumbled out like the rippling tresses cascading down this little girl’s back.

     Little Girls

Temper tantrums

Goofy grins

Ballet shoes and hairbows

Pom-poms

Books

and Barbie dolls

That’s what girls are made of

Riding lessons

Dancing classes

Swimming lessons, too

Cheerleading sessions

Girl Scouts                              

That’s what some girls do

Then they discover boys

The end

                                ~ Elizabeth Guy

“If growing up means it would be beneath my dignity to climb a tree, I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up! Not me!”
― J.M. Barrie

     Childhood is all too brief, at least from the standpoint of parents.  But I remember as a child it seemed to stretch all too long, and I was always anxious for it to end.  I wanted to grow up.  I wanted to be tall, not small.  I wanted to know everything, like grownups did.  Boy!  Was I in for a surprise! 

     One of life’s great discoveries upon achieving “adulthood” was that we not only didn’t have all the answers, we didn’t even seem adequately prepared for the “test.”  There was so much more to be learned – a whole lifetime of learning ahead.  What could be more exciting? 

     And even though I’m in my eighth decade, I’m still not quite finished growing up.  There are many more trees for me climb.  You really can’t beat the view from up there.

What trees have you climbed lately?

  Coming next week...

Table Set in a Garden - painting by Pierre Bonnard, c.1908

 

Also, visit my co-author's blog at http://hank-englisheducation.blogspot.com

See his ten-part series on photo prompts to inspire writing at http://www.creativity-portal.com/prompts/kellner/

And Don’t Miss…

            English teacher Mara Dukats and writer-photographer Cynthia Staples’ poems “white on white” and “The Absence of Color.” They’re in Part Four of Hank Kellner’s  twelve-part series THE POWER OF PHOTOS TO INSPIRE WRITING at the Creativity Portal  website http://gazette.teachers.net/gazette/wordpress/hank-kellner/using-poems-and-photos-to-inspire-writing-part-4/,  as well as Anna J. Small’s writing assignment in "Viewing and Writing about Photos from Around the World"

            Also, read more about Reflect and Write in the SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL http://www.slj.com/2013/03/curriculum-connections/meeting-the-ccss-through-poetry-professional-shelf/

Another Helpful Source for Inspiration

For more photos and information not included in this blog, please visit http://www.prufrock.com/Reflect-and-Write-P1752.aspx. Reflect and Write contains more than 300 poems and photos; keywords; quotations; either “Inspiration” or “Challenge” prompts; a “Themes to Explore” section; a “Twelve Ways to Inspire Your Students” section; a special “Internet Resources” section, and more. Includes CD with photos and poems from the book. Reflect and Write: 300 Poems and Photos to Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner and Elizabeth Guy (Prufrock Press, 2013), 153 pages, $24.95.

Windows of Opportunity - in photos, prose and poetry

Every Photo Tells a Story

     Once again I woke to the sound of rain running through the downspout outside my bedroom window.  As I peered through the rivulets streaking down the pane, disappointment settled like a gray gloom on my spirits.  It had been raining for three days, and I was tired of it.  The weatherman had predicted a break in the sodden skies, and I was hoping for the gladness of sunshine this morning and the resumption of my daily walk.  But Mother Nature had thwarted me and made a mockery out of the forecaster. 

     With a sigh, I heaved myself from the bed and went to seek solace in my ritual morning cup of coffee – sweet, with extra cream.  There I sat at the kitchen window watching my hopes for the day dashed to the ground and forming puddles.  A poem swirled into my restless mind, and headed straight for my fingertips.  Where’s my pen?

     Rainy Day Reverie

rain runs in rivulets down the pane

blurring the world beyond                         

through the window mottled light

dances swirling through the glass

shifting shadows twist

moving, melting

one into the other

ever changing memories

rain-washed dreams

long gone

dreaming all that was

dreaming all that might have been

                        ~ Elizabeth Guy

                                   

 “A rainy day is the perfect time for a walk in the woods.”  - Rachel Carson

     A walk in the woods!  Slog through a muddy forest in this downpour?  I don’t think so.  I know!  Instead of mucking about in the rain, I’ll take this opportunity to go mall walking.  And who’s to say no if I want to do a little window shopping while I’m at it?  Mother Nature would approve.  After all, she’s a woman, isn’t she? 

     Who knows?  Maybe I’ll get another poem out of it.  

Life can box me in

Like a girl kept in a frame

Still I shop for shoes!

What windows of opportunity have you peered into?

Coming next week...

Little girls!  Sugar and spice?

 All photos courtesy of Hank Kellner

Also, visit my co-author's blog at http://hank-englisheducation.blogspot.com

See his ten-part series on photo prompts to inspire writing at http://www.creativity-portal.com/prompts/kellner/

And Don’t Miss…

            English teacher Mara Dukats and writer-photographer Cynthia Staples’ poems “white on white” and “The Absence of Color.” They’re in Part Four of Hank Kellner’s  twelve-part series THE POWER OF PHOTOS TO INSPIRE WRITING at the Creativity Portal  website http://gazette.teachers.net/gazette/wordpress/hank-kellner/using-poems-and-photos-to-inspire-writing-part-4/,  as well as Anna J. Small’s writing assignment in "Viewing and Writing about Photos from Around the World"

            Also, read more about Reflect and Write in the SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL http://www.slj.com/2013/03/curriculum-connections/meeting-the-ccss-through-poetry-professional-shelf/

  

                        Another Helpful Source for Inspiration

For more photos and information not included in this blog, please visit http://www.prufrock.com/Reflect-and-Write-P1752.aspx. Reflect and Write contains more than 300 poems and photos; keywords; quotations; either “Inspiration” or “Challenge” prompts; a “Themes to Explore” section; a “Twelve Ways to Inspire Your Students” section; a special “Internet Resources” section, and more. Includes CD with photos and poems from the book. Reflect and Write: 300 Poems and Photos to Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner and Elizabeth Guy (Prufrock Press, 2013), 153 pages, $24.95.

Détente in the Battle of the Sexes ~ in poetry, prose, & photos

“Words and pictures can work together

to communicate more powerfully than either alone.” 

~ William Albert Allard, American photographer

     Having reached a stage of my life where I no longer need to pretend to be drawn to vigorous outdoor activity, I sometimes find myself passing a few idle hours at the mall.  Being of the female gender, I often spend one or two of those hours in casual “shopping.”  Actually, I don’t enjoy shopping, but sometimes do enjoy simply looking at the endless kaleidoscope of presumably must-have bells, whistles and bows for both body and home.  More often than not, I don’t actually buy anything.  I just look.  And chuckle to myself. 

          Just last week I was at the mall on one of my pseudo-shopping sprees, and I decided to grab a cup of coffee and rest awhile in the ersatz oasis of plastic palms that comprise the food court. So, I sat and sipped, and indulged in one of my favorite past times—people watching.  And, dare I admit, the occasional eavesdropping.

          Nearby on one of the many benches that are found strategically placed throughout the vast maze of the mall, sat an older man reading a newspaper and tapping his foot.  It wasn’t long before an attractive white-haired woman, surely his wife, walked up to him carrying several shopping bags.  She settled on the bench next to him.  He looked at his watch and shook his head. 

     As the man’s wife, began drawing one item after another out of various shopping bags for him to see, I couldn’t help but overhear his wry remarks about women and their predilection for purchasing what to his way of thinking was a completely unnecessary array of merchandise.  All that money wasted.  As if some special cream were going to magically keep or make them young.  Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. 

     Given that I rather agree with this point of view, but still am perfectly willing to spend at least some money on dreams and wishful thinking, I had to smile at his wife’s serene response.  She happily packed all her loot away again, and patted his knee.  “I know, dear,” she said.  Then she cast an appraising eye at him, undoubtedly wondering when he would finally break down and buy a new shirt instead of wearing that favorite old fraying-at-the-seams one.  And perhaps a new pair of “old sneakers” might not be a bad idea either..  Hmmmm….

     Now, I imagine it’s taken a lot of years and a lot of “putting up with” on both sides for that couple to have made it to what appears to be a pretty advanced age and still be together.  So, for all you young girls out there just starting out, I’d like to point out the following:

  

“American women expect to find in their husbands a perfection that English women only hope to find in their butlers.”      ~ W. Somerset Maugham

     Photo by Molly Bennett, student contributor to
     Reflect & Write (Prufrock Press, 2013)

Advice

Listen up, girls!

Men don’t understand women.  

But it’s not their fault—

it’s just the rules of the game.

Remember, Martians and Venusians

have decidedly different brains.

He doesn’t get

why she loves shopping,

or why she wears

those come hither clothes

and then says, “Don’t you dare."

                                                                                                                          

He just doesn’t get all that makeup—

the lipstick, the liners, the hairspray,                                

the perfumes, the creams for her skin,                                                        

ten different polishes for her nails,                                            

a purse you could cram a car in.

Always changing her clothes—

and changing her mind!

It makes a guy want to shout.

It just doesn’t make sense to a man.

What’s all the darn fuss about?                         

Nope, guys don’t understand girls

with their fripperies, fidgets and frills.

They just don’t get it.

But remember—

likewise,

much of the time,

girls don’t seem

to understand guys.

But the really smart ones will!

                        ~ Elizabeth Guy

     Meanwhile, happy shopping out there, all you sister mall crawlers!  Our men should remember, we’re simply being patriotic – supporting the economy.  Battle stations, ladies.  Credit cards ready.  Charge!

What’s in your wallet (besides pictures of your kids)?

Coming next week…

More window shopping

              Also, visit my co-author's blog at http://hank-englisheducation.blogspot.com.  See his ten-part series on photo prompts to inspire writing at http://www.creativity-portal.com/prompts/kellner/

 And Don’t Miss…

             English teacher Mara Dukats and writer-photographer Cynthia Staples’ poems “white on white” and “The Absence of Color.” They’re in Part Four of Hank Kellner’s  twelve-part series THE POWER OF PHOTOS TO INSPIRE WRITING at the Creativity Portal  website http://gazette.teachers.net/gazette/wordpress/hank-kellner/using-poems-and-photos-to-inspire-writing-part-4/,  as well as Anna J. Small’s writing assignment in "Viewing and Writing about Photos from Around the World"

             
            Also, read more about Reflect and Write in the SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL http://www.slj.com/2013/03/curriculum-connections/meeting-the-ccss-through-poetry-professional-shelf/

 

                             A Helpful Source for Inspiration

For more photos and information not included in this blog, please visit http://www.prufrock.com/Reflect-and-Write-P1752.aspx. Reflect and Write contains more than 300 poems and photos; keywords; quotations; either “Inspiration” or “Challenge” prompts; a “Themes to Explore” section; a “Twelve Ways to Inspire Your Students” section; a special “Internet Resources” section, and more. Includes CD with photos and poems from the book. Reflect and Write: 300 Poems and Photos to Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner and Elizabeth Guy (Prufrock Press, 2013), 153 pages, $24.95.