Art Poetry 2019 – Frank Robertson and Kara Emily Krantz

For our 2019 Art & Poetry pairing, one pairing was with poet Kara Emily Krantz and artist Frank Robertson.

Here are the works they created!

Frank Robertson provided this artwork to Kara Emily:

In response, Kara Emily wrote the following poem:

Backwards,
I glance at all that was, and choose
forward, towards all that now could be.

You see me. You see me, and offer me
dignity, in the broken ferns against my feet
and the discrete placement of your hand
upon my back.

Take me back.
To the time of sunshine flowers
when the hours felt like days
and I was free
in all the ways
a person can be.

Move me forward
to the place where only love can flourish.
Where we are nourished by the light
and the slight bend in the woods
where life awaits.

It’s not too late.

Take my hand.

Here we go.

The second half of this pairing involved Kara Emily giving Frank a poem as a starting point. Kara Emily provided this poem:

brutal, i crash amongst the branches
to land, broken, at Your feet.

i’ll stay here forever on this cracked, desperate soil,
seeking you, taking you for granted,
repeatedly reminded of your grace
each time i taste
despair.
beauty.
hope.
devastation.

it’s the elation of knowing you
carry me across the sky
at the same time
i lie here
broken
at Your feet.

In response, Frank provided this artwork:

2019 Art-Poetry Pairing main page