Ekphrastic Postcards

Good Morning,

Thank you for visiting my blog. Today I begin writing ekphrastic poems to a group composed of mostly strangers. Ekphrastic poems usually respond to works of art, but not for me in the month of August.

In the month of August, I shall respond to 31 postcards. The challenge is to write a poem based on the postcard’s photo and then send the poem to one of the 31 people on a list Paul E Nelson, poet, interviewer, father and literary activist provides from his home in Seattle, Washington. 

This is my second year accepting the challenge. Last year, I visited locations in the Northeast and in Florida and gathered postcards. Every day in August, I wrote an organic/ekphrastic poem and mailed it to the next person on the list. I also mailed a postcard to my ninety-one year old mother. Then, I waited to receive a postcard from places around the country and Canada.

I’m over-the-top excited to be participating this year. I love festivals and concerts, but I’m quarantined in Florida’s Coronavirus pandemic. The postcards I’ve received while waiting for my stamps to arrive helped me retain my sanity. Today, I shall begin sending my postcards. I chose the postcards before the Coronavirus. I’m sure the poem I write today will be nothing like what I expected to write. I hope it will brighten a stranger’s day.