Inspired by Poetry

"Accept Today and Shine" 10x10

I ran across an old bird stamp book that I had as a little girl. The pages are so brittle they just break instead of tear. I really wanted to re purpose them in a special way so they made their way into a few collages. As I was working with them, poetry kept coming to mind....not that I know any....but I felt it would be appropriate to apply a significant meaning to each painting. This particular poem said perfectly what I felt....."Acceptance" by Robert Frost. He talks about the sun setting as one bird is prepared safely in his nest closing his eyes and another bird is caught off guard but rushes back to his tree...safe ....just as it becomes too dark to see. The bird says "Now let the night be too dark for me to see into the future. Let what will be, be." We can control only what will happen today. We cannot predict the future....it will be what it will be. One step at a time. Don't waste your time looking back at things you cannot change or worrying about what may happen in the future. Do your very best with the day at hand. The full poem is at the end of this post.


Detail of the "Shine" reminding us to Shine for today.

The entire poem is written vertically across the collage. It is called "Accept Today and Shine"

"Flourish" 10x10

This next collage "Flourish" is inspired by poet Lisa Teres Fraser. She talks about us all having great potential to flourish and when we do, we discover the truth inside of us.

I've been looking around my house at what I have hanging on the walls. Every single picture/ painting/poster has a story. I love it when people ask me about certain ones so I can tell the story. These two collages all of a sudden took on deep and secret meanings when tied with poetry that touched me.

Part of the poem is written across the edge of the collage. Following are both complete poems:

Acceptance by Robert Frost

When the spent sun throws up its rays on cloud

And goes down burning into the gulf below,

No voice in nature is heard to cry aloud

At what has happened. Birds, at least must know

It is the change to darkness in the sky.

Murmuring something quiet in her breast,

One bird begins to close a faded eye;

Or overtaken too far from his nest,

Hurrying low above the grove, some waif

Swoops just in time to his remembered tree.

At most he thinks or twitters softly, 'Safe!

Now let the night be dark for all of me.

Let the night be too dark for me to see

Into the future. Let what will be, be.'

Flourish by Lisa Teres Fraser

We are so small in this world

But have the potential for greatness

We must take the gifts that are given

Nurture them so they may flourish

The truth is what we seek

But it is also what we hide

So many years of living behind a wall

So many times standing after we fall

We are not so small

For when we flourish

We are seen by all.