Waldmueller, or: Loss of detail

Now that NaPoWriMo has come to an end, I can enjoy my ‘usual’ prompt routine. TankaTuesday is one of my regular stops for inspiration and I particularly enjoy Colleen’s ekphrastic prompts. Click here to see this week’s Waldmueller painting and read the full prompt description: https://wordcraftpoetry.com/2023/05/02/tankatuesday-ekphrastic-poetry-challenge-no-318/

Waldmueller, famous for painting the detail of details, to the point of depicting the veins on the leaves, and, when it comes to trees, painting all the leaves, not a single one missed or only hinted at, oh no, no can do! I always get lost in the details of his paintings and forget about ‘the big picture’.

I chose a Shadorma poem to write about the painting ‘The Expected One’. A poem about how ‘lost in detail’ becomes ‘loss of detail’.

Waldmueller, or: Loss of detail

Each thin leaf,
manifest. His skill
catches all…
Not at all!
Brushstrokes miss hole in her soul,
that clearly says: No!

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