What a wonderful whorl! (by Ralph La Rosa)

I’m really proud to be able to showcase a response by Ralph La Rosa to the Rattle Ekphrastic Challenge, won by Mary Meriam. The poem is below, and huge thanks to Ralph for both sharing the poem with me and being happy for me to post it.

I find the whole poem a gorgeous read, funny and clever, with a life wholly of its own, but my favourite bit of the poem is that wonderful rhyme of proscenium and pandemonium.

and all the whorl’s a stage

reveals this pretty page

so fresh with jelly fish

afloat (soft) one lipish

tempting me to lean and kiss

it to increase my bliss

on this worldish proscenium

no hint of pandemonium

(word made by master Milton)

upon a sea we see afloat

but not within a boat

above a huge blue whale

with a sperm-like tail

and arising from a mist

a Bi-gender being (horns a-twist)

balances the chronic Moon

cool partner of the breeding Sun

drawing mist up from the sea

then back to you and me

as life within a grey-grown smear

of clouds (with manna water)

for Bi-being standing tall

till the stage’s curtains fall


About the Author

Ralph La Rosa has published prose on major American writers and has also placed short fiction, poetry, and film scripts. These days, he mostly writes poetry, appearing widely on the Internet, in print journals and in anthologies. Books include the chapbook Sonnet Stanzas and the full-length collections Ghost Trees and My Miscellaneous Muse: Poem Pastiches & Whimsical Words.


I’ve chosen another of my images as the header image for this post, which I think works interestingly as a response to Ralph’s poem. For my next post, I’ll be sharing work from Jason Ringler, another poetic response to the Rattle Ekphrastic, another narrative from the image.

Filed under: Ekphrastic, Poetry

About the Author

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Bio: Sarah-Jane's work is inspired by fairytales, nature, psychogeography and surrealism. She uses bricolage to explore the space between real and imagined; creating alternative narratives as small acts of resistance. Sarah-Jane's work can be seen in various journals, including Waxwing Literary Journal, Petrichor, Sugar House Review (Sugar Suites), Thrush Journal and Iron Horse Literary Review. You can find her on Twitter @Sarahjfc or on her website at www.sarahjanecrowson.art