This week, I have written another ekphrastic poem, this time about the fierce female author Edith Wharton.
Before discussing who Edith Wharton was and all that she accomplished, I’d like to take a moment to review what an ekphrastic poem is. I realize now that I didn’t include that information in my previous post, and I think it will be useful when discussing my poem today.
What is an Ekphrastic Poem?
The Poetry Foundation explains that an ekphrastic poem is a vivid way to describe a piece of art. The poem creates a story and action out of any kind of art, such as painting or sculpture. Through the chosen words, writers are even encouraged to expand on the meaning of the art and amplify its message.
How to Write an Ekphrastic Poem
The writers at MasterClass provide the following steps on how to write an ekphrastic poem.
- Choose a piece of art – It’s essential to select a piece of art that resonates with your emotions, as you’ll want to draw on these emotions to create your poem. Your chosen artwork can be from any age or form, such as painting, sculpture, mural, etc.
- Write down what you see- Since the foundation of your poem is the art itself, it’s important to take note of what the work looks like, what’s happening in it, and other descriptive elements.
- Pick a form- Like any topic of poetry, ekphrastic poems can take many forms. There are sonnets, haikus, free verse, etc.
- Write from a specific point of view- Decide on how you want your poem to respond to your chosen art. Choose what you want to communicate, what’s your message, and create an angle from there.
Who Was Edith Wharton?
I wrote the first drafts of my Edith Wharton poem while pursuing my undergraduate degree in creative writing. I was taking a course on professional writing and how to make a career with a BFA degree. The professor wanted us to write a simple poem to further discuss in class, but when I came across an image of a young Edith Wharton during my art history course, I knew I had to write about her. Before I even researched her fully, I could interpret her energy and zeal for life.
The Mount, which is the museum dedicated to sharing the life of Edith Wharton, resides at Wharton’s old estate in Lennox, Ma, and provides a thorough examination of Wharton’s life, her writing, and her legacy. Wharton lived between 1862 and 1937, during a time and in a community that she felt was suffocating, as it forced her to marry. Despite her heavily expected marriage, Wharton spent her life mastering the craft of writing. While living in the United States, Wharton wrote The House of Mirth (1905) and Ethan Frome (1911).
After her divorce, Wharton moved to France, where she used her wealth to help the less fortunate, creating seamstress jobs for unemployed women, convalescent homes for those with tuberculosis, and providing resources to war refugees. During this time, Wharton was one of the few writers on the front lines of World War 1, for which she received the French Legion of Honor. Towards the end of her life, Wharton wrote The Age of Innocence (1920), which won her the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. She was the first woman to receive this award.
Along with writing novels, Wharton was an accomplished poet. You can read some of her work on The Mount’s website.
Upon her death on August 11, 1937, Wharton left behind a legacy not only of literature but also of love for humanity.
My Poem
Edith Wharton
If this painter doesn’t hurry up…
My joints will cement and I’ll be stuck like this forever
The flowers in my hands are beginning to brown
The stiff pain in my feet has turned to numbness
No one seems to understand how itchy this jacket is
If this painter doesn’t hurry up…
He keeps fixing my curled hair
Acts like it’s my fault the strands fall out of place
The flowers in my hands are beginning to brown
“Hold still, Edith.” My mother too is losing her patience
“I’m trying.” However, I’m at the brunt of her frustration
If this painter doesn’t hurry up…
The vase is positioned right next to my face
At least the flowers smell good
The flowers in my hands are beginning to brown
I take a sharp breath and straighten my back, my mother smiles
Ever the obedient child, truly hoping to hasten this ordeal
If this painter doesn’t hurry up…
The flowers in my hands are beginning to brown
My Poetry Decisions
I decided to write about Edith because of her emotional fortitude, her desire to help others, and her talent for putting quill pen to paper. In my poem, I did my best to replicate a child’s voice, frustrated with her mother and the artist who insisted on everything being done just right. Clearly, Edith did not want to play by these rules, and she was longing to burst from her itchy jacket.
I introduced repetition in the lines similar to a villanelle, but I didn’t include the rhymes that are customary. I made this intentional choice because I feel that a young Edith would have chosen to break that mold and prove herself in other ways. At the end of the poem, Edith chooses to straighten her back and appease her mother and the artist. In reality, Edith eventually married because she felt the pressure from her community. Despite this, she held steadfast to her independent and strong spirit, which carried through her entire life.
I have loved learning about Edith, and I’m looking forward to visiting her museum in Lennox, MA, hopefully sometime soon!
Thank you for following along with me on my poetry journey. I hope you were able to gain something from this post. I’d love to learn more about poetry and grow as an author. Do you have a poet you enjoy reading?
References
MasterClass. (2021, October 13). Ekphrastic poetry explained: How to write ekphrastic poems. https://www.masterclass.com/articles/ekphrastic-poetry
Poetry Foundation. (n.d.). Ekphrasis. Retrieved from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/education/glossary/ekphrasis
Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. (n.d.). Edith Wharton (Object No. NPG.82.136). https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_NPG.82.136
The Mount. (n.d.). Edith Wharton. https://edithwharton.org/discover/edith-wharton/
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