Primal Connections
These paintings are part of an installation of 27 faces with names derived from the elements: water, wind, earth and fire. (Scroll down for the poem I wrote that is part of the installation.)
Primal Connections
She wore the sea as an overcoat
veiled herself in brackish swaths of foam
her hair unfurled in bits of brine
arranging itself in patterns
as veins upon a leaf
She wore the earth as a mud raked robe
cloaked herself in verdant shawls of loam
their edges fraying root and vine
traversing the mass and cavern
her form as bas relief
She wore the sun as a dressing gown
arrayed herself in glistening strands that shone
with dazzling light and flesh supine
converging for an instant
as treasure and thief
She wore the night as a velvet shroud
hid herself in folds of shade and tone
tree branches made a soft back line
describing the edge of darkness
in indigo relief
She wore the moon as an opal crown
dusted limbs with pearl and bone
then she and stars and earth align
replacing the ordinary
with thrill beyond belief
She wore the day as a soft blue dress
trimmed with lyrics or a poem
the skirt wove threads of rain and shine
displaying a fickle nature
a span that is too brief
She wore the trees as a pair of boots
grounded in earth and home
then hands reach up and leaves entwine
passing the summer blindly
by fall a sign of grief
- Deanna Schwartzberg