POND LIFE, oil on canvas, 24×18
The small ponds and wetlands that dot my landscape
are brimming with life,
raw, gritty, invisible to the naked eye;
beautiful in its diversity, brutal in its quest for survival.
Single-celled amoebas and protozoa
are shape shifters that bounce and collide
with energy that eventually will be eaten or tapped out,
never emerging from the swamp.
In early spring, untold tadpoles and minnows
dart among the murky depths, hoping to avoid
being swallowed by larger life forms.
Seeds sink into the mud and overwinter,
waiting to be animated by vernal sun
or devoured for their protein.
‘Pond Life’ is included in “Origins,” an exhibit organized by Future Arts Workers at ArtsWorcester, 44 Portland St., Worcester, Mass., now through June 29. Gallery hours are 12 noon to 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.
I love this image and the poem. Your details and imaginings are thought provoking! Together they inspire me to look more carefully at everything.
Thank you!!!!
Hugs,
Jan
Many thanks! I appreciate it, especially coming from someone as observant of nature as you.
Your poem really highlights pondlife and what is happening in a vernal pond and your painting. The pink, white and ultramarine blue make the life in your pond POP since one has to usually look through murky brown/olive green water to see much of what is down there.
Thanks for this! The wetland is abuzz at this time of year, and the world is brimming with tiny universes beneath our feet.