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Sunday, May 13, 2012

Nuances

The Meal, 1891, by Paul Gauguin
Picture inspiration: The Mag 117

Amid internal darkness
obscurity presents
autumn colors

laid before the hungry
as elusive as shadows
haunting stability

like a knife in the hands
of a killer.

@laurie kolp
at

33 comments:

  1. brenda wMay 13, 2012 at 9:11 AM

    Excellent response, Laurie. We both saw that knife's potential.

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  2. Yvonne OsborneMay 13, 2012 at 9:15 AM

    Ah...the knife does stand out doesn't it? Killer last line!

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  3. Laurel's QuillMay 13, 2012 at 9:21 AM

    Zowie...didn't see that coming!

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  4. GraceMay 13, 2012 at 9:46 AM

    That last line brought the chills ~ Nice one ~

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  5. izzyMay 13, 2012 at 10:58 AM

    Killer ? hmm- of plants and food- interesting! thanks.

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  6. HannahMay 13, 2012 at 11:08 AM

    You really captured this well, Laurie, I can see what izzy is thinking and I'm thinking of the pesticides, how it will appear as we have food but really it is tainted by poisons and a cancer-causing killer.
    Thanks for making me think!!

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  7. Kerry O'ConnorMay 13, 2012 at 11:32 AM

    You have really captured the raw brutality of the colour in this work of art.

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  8. DCWMay 13, 2012 at 12:53 PM

    Beautiful and haunting simplicity. You can really capture the mood.

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  9. AnonymousMay 13, 2012 at 1:00 PM

    the knife is what shows direction and perspective in the art

    quick heat quick art

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  10. DaydreamertooMay 13, 2012 at 1:02 PM

    Come to the dark side....hehe
    Nice capture Laurie!

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  11. ShawnaMay 13, 2012 at 1:35 PM

    The knife and the perspective (elevated) from which the scene is captured draw attention to the person on the other side of the table, the one we cannot see.

    I love your poem. Brief and loaded with varied interpretive potential.

    The tiny details are the most important to a killer, someone hiding in shadows, a person suffering in darkness---the nuances become the whole of life; there IS no big picture anymore, only seconds, only fractions and fractures of time and mind.

    "autumn colors" ... The feast before the famine; the harvest before the end of time/life/season.

    Are the hungry the elusive, or is the "food" elusive, just beyond grasp?

    I love "haunting stability." The darkness being endured, the hunger, the pain---the depression and possibly mental illness somehow enables this person to survive. This makes me think of Sleeping With the Enemy. The battle of the cans---lined up or knocked over to maintain sanity, depending on the keeper of the pantry.

    This is all about control and the fine line walked between barely functional and completely insane.

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  12. BerowneMay 13, 2012 at 3:48 PM

    Imaginative, creative take on the prompt...

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  13. Brian MillerMay 13, 2012 at 4:58 PM

    whew you set quite the tension in just a few lines...that internal darkness will def cause you to do some things you might not otherwise...and that plays well against the knife at the end....well done laurie...

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  14. Maude LynnMay 13, 2012 at 5:35 PM

    Love those last lines!

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  15. Kathe W.May 13, 2012 at 6:10 PM

    yow- I never saw the knife coming-excellent!

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  16. kaykualaMay 13, 2012 at 8:41 PM

    With knives like that they sure looked intimidating. That's why the kids are glum? Nice twist to the prompt. Great write, Laurie!

    Hank

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  17. 21 WitsMay 13, 2012 at 9:07 PM

    I so enjoyed this plan for the knife, and not just to slice the fruits and vegetables! Spooky!

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  18. Madeleine Begun KaneMay 13, 2012 at 11:07 PM

    That's one haunting poem!

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  19. TrellissimoMay 14, 2012 at 3:29 AM

    Primitive emotion you uncovered here...

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  20. KayMay 14, 2012 at 3:35 AM

    loved the tension you captured in this...x

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  21. Silent Otto May 14, 2012 at 3:56 AM

    Yeah i think the adversary is definitely present here, Laurie .

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  22. LynMay 14, 2012 at 12:25 PM

    You really nailed this... they say if there's a knife in a scene..it's got to be used...clever!

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  23. UnknownMay 14, 2012 at 2:50 PM

    I enjoyed the subtle but shadowy places your poem describes. Then your last line, queues the killer!! Not a celebration of Mothers' Day after all. (hee hee). Thanks for this dramatic response, Laurie. =D

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  24. Carrie Van HornMay 14, 2012 at 6:50 PM

    So much spoken in such few words....great writing Laurie!! :-)

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  25. Tumblewords:May 14, 2012 at 9:52 PM

    Terrific view of this image! It bursts with surprise.

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  26. HelenMay 14, 2012 at 10:39 PM

    Really don't want to know who is standing on the other side of the table ... the knife handle is ready to grab! Great poem ...

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  27. Dave KingMay 15, 2012 at 3:25 AM

    Beautifully done. I really enjoyed its double turn, both of which surprised me.

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  28. teriMay 15, 2012 at 8:35 AM

    Although my eye was drawn to all that bright colored fruit, that did not not hide the pensive faces and that knife. Your words hit the mark.

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  29. Stafford RayMay 15, 2012 at 4:11 PM

    Yes, you did express the feeling I share with you that all is not as it appears; 'as elusive as shadows haunting stability'. The knife and the shadows all point towards the young people. Mmmmm.

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  30. Vince GoteraMay 15, 2012 at 10:49 PM

    Laurie ... wow. I like how words like "internal" and "obscurity" and "elusive" and "stability" lull the reader and then bam! Ha ha. Cool schtuff.

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  31. Tess KincaidMay 16, 2012 at 1:01 PM

    Dark and delicious!

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  32. UnknownMay 16, 2012 at 5:07 PM

    The painting and your poem--what a combo! Powerful perspective.

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  33. Susan AndersonMay 17, 2012 at 1:17 PM

    Powerful and intelligent.

    Loved it.

    =)

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Thanks so much for stopping by and taking time to comment.