Mother's Mantle
© Neetu Malik/A. Mac/A.G.
She wraps her child
in the old, soft mantle
though the child is
grown into a woman
she has raised
with gentle hands
and tender affection
her daughter shivers
as the chill pierces the
holes in the aged fabric
a mother’s
excuses no longer explain
how they came to be
there in the first place
through the tight weave
that could never rip
©Neetu Malik 2017
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Oops, the space before the last stanza is a bit excessive. Is there a way to edit the poem?
She wraps her child
in the old, soft mantle
though the child is
grown into a woman
she has raised
with gentle hands
and tender affection
her daughter shivers
as the chill pierces the
holes in the aged fabric
a mother’s
excuses no longer explain
how they came to be
there in the first place
through the tight weave
that could never rip
©Neetu Malik 2017
Neetu,
I believe I have the spacing the way you intended it … you can copy and paste it after deleting the original then let me know and I'll delete my corrected comment.
I am trying to satisfy several publisher deadlines but will see if I can find an image for the poem.
Thanks, Mac. I will try to do that now.
Done!
I'm afraid I just don't have any photos of a loving mother holding her grown up daughter - mothers with young children, yes, but your poem indicates that the child is grown into a woman.
I did finally get an image to Neetu; I believe she was pleased with it.
Shouldn't it be posted here?
Buzz, I tried to post the image Mac gave me just now but it is so small and I can't seem to increase the size! I tried the "Update" process but it is giving me problems.
If it is no smaller than the avatars on our comments, post it anyway and I'll see if I can enlarge it without it getting really fuzzy.
Thanks Buzz, Mac got to it before I could, but I am grateful to you and so glad to have friends who have skills I don't!
And much appreciated, Mac! Thank you so much. The image works very nicely with this poem.
I sent it to Neetu via private notes and she responded via the same. I have not seen her since and did not want to post it without her say so.
I am commenting mostly from my cell phone while in Florida but when I get back to my hotel room I will see if the image is still on my laptop, and if so, I will post it.
Mac, yes you did. It comes out really tiny in the discussion box when I try to update my discussion with your image.
Neetu,
The full size image is posted.
Thank you, Mac, yes I see it. I was trying to post it at the top and will try again.
Neetu,
If you can't post it at the top, when I get back to my laptop tonight, I will do so.
I am technically challenged and a bit impatient, Mac, so I gave up when it wouldn't work. But when I returned to make another attempt, you had already posted it for me.
Thank you!
Explanation, No Fear ...
In the Collaboration Forum, a member posts a poem or quote and that prompts a request for an image/artwork to go with it ... the final result being (i.e.) literally, a stand-alone collaboration of the two.
I will try and post the collaboration of Neetu's "Mother's Mantle" poem and hope she returns to the discussion soon.
The Collaboration
© Neetu Malik/A. Mac/A.G.
Come see how members cooperate and collaborate rather than berate and irritate.
The COLLABORATIVE FINISHED IMAGE NOW APPEARS IN FULL SIZE ATOP THE DISCUSSION>
And much appreciated, Mac! Thank you so much.
The image was soft and faded by intent ... It was a visual metaphor that represented the passage of time as the poem lamented.
Sorry, I guess at my age it was almost impossible to make out. My concept was just somewhat faded, not almost invisible. I apologize for having interfered and have deleted what I did.
Please don't apologize, Buzz. You always give me very valuable feedback on my work which is appreciated.
I hadn't considered the inherent downside of the faded image, only its metaphorical connection to the poem's lament as to how a mother feels when her child no longer needs her in the way a literal child once did.
Visually, without the overprinted poem, for sure, the image could not stand alone without crying for some contrast adjustment.
No apology necessary, Buzz; when I first sent the collaborative piece to Neetu in private notes, I am pretty sure I explained the softness and pallor of the image ... so I anticipated reactions like the one you expressed.
When, as in my "Presupposition" thesis, our perception is "surprised" by a work of art because it does not coincide with our presupposed expectations, it gives us pause, if not shock, disappointment and even recoil.
Imagine what artists like Turner must have had to explain to those critics whose "standards" were grounded in Classical art.
I think that was quite the point of the faded image, Mac. I know it isn't easy to find the ideal image for a poem like this one which is heavily metaphorical and depicts passage of time and its effect on the mantle of a mother's love. This image forms a good background without being distracting.