Ekphrastic Poetry and Art

Two of my poems will be displayed with art at Benedictine College in Lisle, Illinois in March, 2020 as part of an ekphrastic project of the Illinois State Poetry Society. The exhibit was previously presented at the Burning Bush Gallery in Wheaton this fall.

This is the art that inspired one of the poems below:

               Mask

See the sadness in my eyes.

I hide behind this mask

afraid to affirm

who I am

what I feel within.

My mask twists and winds

like my spirit and mind.

Will I be scorned, unloved

should I reveal myself

and all I may become?

Shall I dare be strong

even reckless to

fly free with these feathers

or stay stuck, silent and sad

beneath this mask?

Art by Yelda Akacik (on Instagram at @hiyelda
https://instagram.com/hiyelda?igshid=57bzvq30vwuz )