Delightful, friend! The imaginative play sings to me of long summer days in childhood. I love the list, and I love knowing it springs from your own children's lively imaginations. As I read, I was remembering the games my sisters and I used to make up. This painting is new to me, and your poem is absolutely lovely.
Thank you, my friend. I love lists in poems and this one was so fun to write, full of so many memories.
I hope to dig through my archives to share more Carl Larsson inspired poems. I adore his work and he has inspired me perhaps more than any other artist. I suppose because so much of his work are these lovely intimate family scenes that resonate so much with my own experiences.
The painting is gorgeous, and your poem is one of my new favorites. I look forward to seeing more ekphrastics based on Larsson. That is the kind of book I would buy in a heartbeat btw.
Thank you, Weston. Children's sulks can be so frustrating in the moment, but are objectively pretty funny. I might have been unconsciously calling up A.A. Milne's fabulous poem about Mary Jane and the rice pudding. I love the way Milne is both sympathetic to the child and to the adult's frustration. https://allpoetry.com/Rice-Pudding
This is Weston's wife Laurie. I was utterly enchanted by this poem! It's absolutely charming. Today I will treat myself to searching you out & commence reading more of your poetry.
Melanie, I can’t even begin to describe all the ways I love this one. This poem charms my Swedish heart and I’m printing it out to have it on frequent rotation. Thank you for sharing your gift
Thank you, dear Ann. Larsson is absolutely one of my favorite artists of the domestic scene and the gorgeous Swedish interiors make me swoon. It is such an honor to be added to your poem reading rotation.
Thank you, Tony. I agree that the breakfast looks wonderful. But I've had so many experiences of my children turning up their noses at absolutely wonderful meals. I was so often the stubborn child with the deeply offended sense of justice, desperately wanting other people to see and acknowledge the (perceived) wrongs done against me, I'm glad that yearning comes through.
Yes--I can remember. Blinking back my tears, I would dream of how they would miss me when I was gone. And then I would fantasize about my end. Or running away. "If they only knew."
I'm glad the lines about the mug speak to you. That image didn't have a specific referent but it felt like something kids would fight over, the one mug that no one likes and everyone hopes they don't get stuck with.
This is lovely, Melanie! A perfect accompaniment to Larsson's painting - and a door into his oh-so-beautiful world. I wish I could step inside his paintings and live there, too, and your painting allows a brief peek!
This beautifully captures how children - all of us perhaps - think the world revolves around them (us). Larsson was prominently featured in an exhibition of Swedish painting I saw last year and I immediately fell for his work.
Delightful, friend! The imaginative play sings to me of long summer days in childhood. I love the list, and I love knowing it springs from your own children's lively imaginations. As I read, I was remembering the games my sisters and I used to make up. This painting is new to me, and your poem is absolutely lovely.
Thank you, my friend. I love lists in poems and this one was so fun to write, full of so many memories.
I hope to dig through my archives to share more Carl Larsson inspired poems. I adore his work and he has inspired me perhaps more than any other artist. I suppose because so much of his work are these lovely intimate family scenes that resonate so much with my own experiences.
The painting is gorgeous, and your poem is one of my new favorites. I look forward to seeing more ekphrastics based on Larsson. That is the kind of book I would buy in a heartbeat btw.
Your words add lovely extra depth to the painting!
Thank you, Phoebe. I'm so glad they resonated with you.
I love the napkin at the end! What a fantastic poem!
Thank you, Taylor. The napkin is one of my favorite bits of the painting, it was a bit of a surprise how it snuck into the poem.
I loved the atmosphere you recreated here Melanie, so many charming details of frustration, very funny as well- in short I loved this poem. Thank you
Thank you, Weston. Children's sulks can be so frustrating in the moment, but are objectively pretty funny. I might have been unconsciously calling up A.A. Milne's fabulous poem about Mary Jane and the rice pudding. I love the way Milne is both sympathetic to the child and to the adult's frustration. https://allpoetry.com/Rice-Pudding
Yeah, he captures the young mind so very well, like Seuss, E. B. White, Silverstein. I ll check out that link, thanks.
A very cute little poem.
This is Weston's wife Laurie. I was utterly enchanted by this poem! It's absolutely charming. Today I will treat myself to searching you out & commence reading more of your poetry.
Thank you so much, Laurie. I'm so happy to have you reading and it's lovely that you took the time to comment as well.
Melanie, I can’t even begin to describe all the ways I love this one. This poem charms my Swedish heart and I’m printing it out to have it on frequent rotation. Thank you for sharing your gift
🇸🇪🥣💛🔥
Thank you, dear Ann. Larsson is absolutely one of my favorite artists of the domestic scene and the gorgeous Swedish interiors make me swoon. It is such an honor to be added to your poem reading rotation.
I love this, Melanie. Such fine work.
Thank you, Julia.
Wonderful!
Thank you, Katy!
Wonderful poetry--and the yearning that the others will see her grief is priceless. (To me the breakfast in the painting looks OK).
Thank you, Tony. I agree that the breakfast looks wonderful. But I've had so many experiences of my children turning up their noses at absolutely wonderful meals. I was so often the stubborn child with the deeply offended sense of justice, desperately wanting other people to see and acknowledge the (perceived) wrongs done against me, I'm glad that yearning comes through.
Yes--I can remember. Blinking back my tears, I would dream of how they would miss me when I was gone. And then I would fantasize about my end. Or running away. "If they only knew."
So much to admire in this poem - the images, the ideas, the language itself.
I kept circling back to this:
And tepid tea in the much-detested,
Much-contested checkered mug
Thank you, Janie.
I'm glad the lines about the mug speak to you. That image didn't have a specific referent but it felt like something kids would fight over, the one mug that no one likes and everyone hopes they don't get stuck with.
This is lovely, Melanie! A perfect accompaniment to Larsson's painting - and a door into his oh-so-beautiful world. I wish I could step inside his paintings and live there, too, and your painting allows a brief peek!
Thank you, Emily!
"Surely the others will come running back
In, crying that it is impossible
To play the game, any game, without her."
This beautifully captures how children - all of us perhaps - think the world revolves around them (us). Larsson was prominently featured in an exhibition of Swedish painting I saw last year and I immediately fell for his work.