The Artist's Gaze

As an English Major with an emphasis on Creative Writing, I have been able to study various forms of literature, including poetry. One of my favorite forms is that of the Sonnet.

The simplest way to describe a sonnet has been provided by the Poetry Foundation:

A 14-line poem with a variable rhyme scheme originating in Italy and brought to England by Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey in the 16th century. Literally, a "little song," the sonnet traditionally reflects upon a single sentiment, with a clarification or "turn" of thought in its concluding lines.

One of my assignments was to write a sonnet. I combined elements from the Petrarchan sonnet and the English (or Shakespearean) sonnet in the poem, "The Artist's Gaze".

The Artist’s Gaze

Artist gaze translated to sepia marks

Newsprint transformed into fine imagery

Shapes choreographed into the female form

By artistic eye and chestnut-stained hand.

Conte pastel, amber figure, newsprint parchment

The artist’s hand obscured and the faceless body

Identity masked, protected, shielded:

The woman who sits in calm repose.

The stretch of the elongated neck;

Directing unseen eyes to far-off scenes

Grace in shape and form -

The beauty of God’s creation.

Effortless hand leaves subtle marks

Shaping hills and valleys of a foreign land.