Paula Bonnell
November
The birds pulsing
within the migrant flock
shimmer statistically
They rose from morning fields
like sparks up the chimney…
Distinguished Writer of the ArtAscent Winter call for entry. To see the full body of work, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Winter issue.
Artist Statement
Inspiration is a word that resembles inhalation and that is what moves me to write—I’ve “breathed in an experience” that makes me want to create an artistic equivalent of what moved me, thereby sharing it with others. As a reader, I often appreciate this gift when given to me by writers and they stimulate my desire to emulate good and even great literary work; the same was true in my photographic years.
About My Work
In any poem of mine that I value, there is always something “given” by what feels like an “other”—which is what made humans create the idea of a muse. My part in the transaction is to take what the muse gives me—typically a first line that comes unbidden into my mind—and see if I can follow it from there and arrive somewhere. When readers respond to something I’ve written, I feel completed and happy.
