Ink Empress Poet Ekphrasis

Notes About The Poem

written for the contest " emotional shrapnel " sponsored by Sara Jama

Melancholy Atomic 1945 , Salvador Dali

The sky is a Luciferian estuary 
rolling and roaring in crimson flames, 
a twisted design of detonated debris,
like splitting sighs
from internal implosions,
raining fragments of the past:
matchbox memories
piercing through suffocating silence
as time tortures the mind
with flashbacks of floating fragility…

O invisible moonlight,
pour me a purple potion
to erase the pain behind
perplexed pupils.
I no longer desire to be
cast in the clamorous clusters,
convicted as the captive ~ 
a ghost of games 
playing on the bones of brokenness, 
this cave of shame,
this cell of hellfire,
this emotional shrapnel,
reflecting self-loathing nightmares.
Perhaps I crowned myself
the commander,
leading the devil’s disciples
into a war assembled from fear…

And this heart ~ a metallic maelstrom 
mourning in the turmoil of melancholy ~ 
breaks from the inability
to step beyond wrathful walls
to a landscape of holiness,
to seek the footsteps of pilgrimage.
For I am caught in
the whirling whispers of
spectral regrets,
replicating rectangular ruins,
electrifying the empyrean
with greyed grief
and yellowed yearning.
Pondering ~ am I the blasphemer
in the cross-eyed faces of monsters?
Am I the breath
that trembled ~ disrupting the peace?
Am I the empty spaces
filling the crystalline cracks
between haunting hours,
while darkness devours
treacherous tales
climbing from the
archives of devious agony…

But can love gift this skeletal sorrow 
a twilight-kissed cloak of hope?
Will heaven be a witness
to these bleeding carvings
within the tall pillars
of my splintered spirit,
while the dying lamp of life
slowly fades and waves farewell
in faint colors ~ depicting misery
like demons decaying,
shaping a sadistic sanctuary 
of malignant madness~ 
a familiar insanity inked 
                 as a heinous home…

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Sara Jama May 17, 2025 at 5:10 PM Congratulations on placing in my contest. Your poem is fantastic as always and I adore your choice of art. Salvador Dali is one of my favourite artists. From your first line "The sky is a Luciferian estuary," to the last line "a familiar insanity inked as a heinous home…," you always find such beauty in the darkness. Thank you for writing. Ink Empress May 17, 2025 at 11:40 PM Thank you so much for this beautiful and thoughtful comment! I love Dali too! So glad you liked my take! Sending you ligh

Justin Bordner May 16, 2025 at 5:59 PM We must build wise satisfaction from the debris and raw material of our suffering Poetess. Sometimes it is wiser to craft than to fight which is what the intense moral of this poem reinforces in my developing mind. "A twilight kissed cloak of hope..." exquisite cadence here! "cell of hellfire" great parlay. "Convicted as the captive..." an essential dhilema. I ser this Dali painting has the famous long legged elephants. They always captivate my imaginative senses, like your poetry does...J.A.B. Ink Empress May 17, 2025 at 11:40 PM Thank you Justin

Krishnanand Guptar May 13, 2025 at 5:05 AM Heartiest congratulations, dear poetess on your high placement in this poetry contest with a superb poem so elegantly crafted with a masterly choice of words and and alliterations. "Am I the empty spaces filling the crystalline cracks between haunting hours, while darkness devours treacherous tales climbing from the archives of devious agony…" so elegant. Ink Empress May 13, 2025 at 8:46 AM How kind of you to congratulate me and to feel the emotional depth of my ekphrasis dear Krishnaanand! Im beyond grateful for your generous support! Thank you so much

Billie Jama May 13, 2025 at 12:25 AM Sis this piece is hauntingly vivid~your words echo the surreal devastation Dalí painted. “Matchbox memories piercing through suffocating silence” and “a ghost of games playing on the bones of brokenness” felt like emotional aftershocks. You’ve translated the painting’s fractured despair into a poetic dimension, rich with introspection and symbolic ache. Truly a masterpiece of an ekphrasis. This is my top pick. Congratulations. Fav! Ink Empress May 13, 2025 at 8:47 AM Thank you so very much sis for the fave and for your uplifting comment, so generous and kind of you! Im honored by the recognition from the sponsor and also by the sincere accolades from you! You truly are a gem! So happy to have you here on soup! Thank you so very much always

JC Brul May 12, 2025 at 8:18 PM This is ekphrasis at its best! I love the whirling whisper of spectral regrets..Congratulations dear Ink. Stay creative. ^__^ jCB Ink Empress May 13, 2025 at 8:48 AM Thank you kind soul always for your generous support truly

Evelyn Judy Buehler May 10, 2025 at 11:04 PM Wow, this is so beautifully written and melancholy, Ink! The poem and the painting are fine companions. This is a fave. Best of wishes for the contest. Ink Empress May 11, 2025 at 4:32 AM Thank you so very much, so kind of you dear evelyn! Im grateful for your generous support always

Andrea Dietrich May 10, 2025 at 7:54 PM I am not good at understanding modern art, but knowing this was painted in '45 tells me it has to do with WWII which was hellish indeed. And your words bring that hellishness to life, Ink. This is sure to make the winner list. Ink Empress May 11, 2025 at 4:30 AM Thank you so much sweet andrea! I appreciate always your kind support

Paige Hind May 10, 2025 at 6:44 PM "Am I the breath that trembled ~ disrupting the peace" I could see those lines of your heart. Beautiful work, dear Ink. Going into my favs - <3 Ink Empress May 11, 2025 at 4:30 AM that means alot, receiving a fave! Thank you so much kind soul! Sending you light

Sara Kendrick May 10, 2025 at 1:26 PM Creative way to go. Reads like a good contender to me. Thanks for sharing these lines. Sara K Ink Empress May 11, 2025 at 4:29 AM Thank you so much dear sara, so good to hear from you! Sending you light always

Duke Beaufort May 10, 2025 at 11:06 AM IE, Great poem with great semblance to the picture and more. Will "love gift this skeletal sorrow a twilight-kissed cloak of hope?" That's a very interesting question and depends on what we do today since we are the custodian of all kinds of killing power. An additional chore requires an honest look at ourselves in the US. Historians are showing that we used the atomic bomb on Japan twice in 1945 at the end of WWII as a means to show Russia that we meant business in the post war order. That started the Cold War and has meant spending on weapons and war rather than on building a more hospitable planet. Many people cannot look at this and ascertain the truth since it is unpalatable. Take care. You are sweet and sending you smiles! Ink Empress May 10, 2025 at 11:36 AM I bet you are familiar with this painting? It was inspired by the events of hiroshima and war back then, and that was what inspired Salvador Dali, it reflects the deep psychological impact of it all which can be used on a psychological level when writing an ekphrasis! Thank you so much for sharing your sincere and kind thoughts, grateful truly.

Sotto Poet May 10, 2025 at 10:32 AM Wow, what a fantastic poem, dearest Ink, about the hardships of inner turmoil, the sorrow of self-reflection, and the need for salvation. It highlights the battle between despair and optimism, delving into emotional pain, self-loathing, and the need for recovery. The issue also dives into the complexities of mental suffering and the yearning to break free from one's demons, emphasizing the contrast between darkness and the slight chance of light. Your word choice is rich and expressive, with vivid images and powerful emotional language. Words like "Luciferian," "implosions," "shrapnel," and "melancholy" add to the overall dark and dramatic atmosphere. The poem employs metaphors and similes, such as "this cave of shame" and "twilight-kissed cloak of hope," to provide vivid visual depictions of the speaker's emotional condition. Ink Empress May 11, 2025 at 4:14 AM Thank you so much dr sotto i appreciate your kind support always

I Am Anaya May 10, 2025 at 9:04 AM (Snapping fingers) Wow, IE I felt like I was in the audience at a Shakespeare recital. I felt the melancholy~ "But can love gift this skeletal sorrow a twilight-kissed cloak of hope?" we hope that love will do it for us. Very nice. xhugs Ink Empress May 11, 2025 at 4:15 AM Thank you so much for the high praise dear anaya, so kind of you. I was a fan of Shakespeare so that means alot altho im just an amateur poet. Sending you light always

CayCay Godwin May 10, 2025 at 7:57 AM Whoa, wow, and wazzu - What a write. I loved the imagery and the scattered use of alliteration. Such an enjoyable melancholy poem, I mean in the sense that it delivers, it rocks, and it conveys the shrapnel hits. Poetry hugs ... CayCay Ink Empress May 11, 2025 at 4:18 AM Thank you so much dear caycay, so kind of you and very thoughtful comment, im grateful for your support! Sending you light always

Lin Lane May 10, 2025 at 6:31 AM a heart ~ a metallic maelstrom mourning in the turmoil of melancholy ~ That's eye opening as to how deeply the emotional shrapnel is capable of wounding. With each breath taken between each line, there is the unmistakable desire to break free and flee such sadistic surroundings. Your detailed imagery is very real, to the point of frightening. Did this darkness leave you feeling drained, Ink? Ink Empress May 10, 2025 at 7:33 AM Yes dear linnersz, in alot of pain. Thank you so much for your empathetic and kind response! Grateful always for your support truly

Hiya Sharma May 10, 2025 at 6:19 AM Gosh, this is the epitome of melancholy which you've inked here with such mind-blowing metaphors, jaw-dropping imagery and exquisitely dark language, that devours the essence of emotional turmoil in the most impeccable manner!! I felt like floating in a grief-soaked space whilst being clasped in the bleeding roots of stillness and silence... the way your words make my soul feel stirred, ahhh, I absolutely love this signature quality of your writing style, my dear Ink! From "The sky is a Luciferian estuary rolling and roaring in crimson flames, a twisted design of detonated debris, like splitting sighs from internal implosions", "And this heart ~ a metallic maelstrom mourning in the turmoil of melancholy ~ breaks from the inability to step beyond wrathful walls", "Am I the breath that trembled ~ disrupting the peace?" to those ending lines "Will heaven be a witness to these bleeding carvings within the tall pillars of my splintered spirit, Ink Empress May 10, 2025 at 7:34 AM Thank you my angelic star, you always make me feel like i am good enough, and you always feel my words, and appreciate them, im grateful for this thoughtful and sincere comment, and its always so good to see you here! I hope to read you again soon! Sending you light always Hiya Sharma May 10, 2025 at 6:23 AM My gosh!! The boldness of expressions and symbolism done here to portray the most vulnerable and fragmented state of one's soul... sigh! This is profound and poetically genius! I absolutely love everything about this poem, it's really a masterfully woven write. And once again your golden quill has shown it's mystique! Absolutely stunning hun! Wishing you the best of luck in Sara's contest, I'm sure this will do very well ~

Lioness Onpaper May 10, 2025 at 6:10 AM rolling and roaring in crimson flames, Ooo the intensity !!! pour me a purple potion to erase the pain behind perplexed pupils. cast in the clamorous clusters, convicted as the captive a ghost of games … Oh yesss come thruuu u sexy alliterations!!! I crowned myself the commander, leading the devil’s disciples into a war assembled from fear…Love how heavy that line is !!! Am I the breath that trembled disrupting the peace? No not !!! Somtimes I am aee .. loud n unbearable la .. genetically mutated like that XD!! Will heaven be a witness to these bleeding carvings within the tall pillars of my splintered spirit, The sense of hope is inspiring papi!!! Oo that ending ! shaping a sadistic sanctuary of malignant madness a familiar insanity inked as a heinous home… absolutely stunning papi!! Ink Empress May 10, 2025 at 7:35 AM Thank you papi for reading and for leaving your beautiful comment im grateful

The Aura Rhymes May 10, 2025 at 6:02 AM Oooo it’s dark ! Ink Empress May 10, 2025 at 7:35 AM Thank you dahlin always