A Poem

The brief for this assignment connects perfectly with a book I recently created as a gift for my Mum’s birthday. The brief was to find a poem that you feel connected to and represent this in images; the gift was a collection of my step-dad, Doc’s poems, which I paired with images taken of our family. Unable to choose just one for the assignment, I have included a small collection of my favourites. The book contains images taken by other family members over the years, however for this exercise, I have only used images I shot myself.

The first poem, ‘How does one stop a flighty mind’ was written as a reflection on Doc’s own mind, however Helena, his daughter, my sister is cursed and blessed with that same sporadic sensibility. Doc, to calm his mind used poetry, painting, self-hypnosis and regular holidays; Helena currently uses yoga.
I felt that this image perfectly summed up the essence of the poem; enjoying a relaxing afternoon in our mum’s garden, Helena decided it was the perfect time to jump up and practise some yoga. I can’t really judge, I instantly sprang up with my camera to record the occasion but none of us are good at sitting still for long.

The upward, diagonal lines of the house add movement, giving a feeling of restlessness to fit the poem. Helena’s legs frame the evidence of a relaxing afternoon in the sun. The pose itself aiding to increase mental power and concentration provides an answer to the question, how does one stop a flighty mind?

‘Helena Sara Jane 1985’ was written when Helena was a toddler. Helena now has a daughter, Evie who displays an uncanny resemblance to her mum in looks and character. I felt that this image of mother and daughter added a fresh angle to the poem, Helena looking down on the carbon copy of herself, seeing what her father saw all those years ago.

The relationship between the cousins reflects the sense of a guiding hand in ‘A flight of fancy’. One leader, one follower, the pair take ‘a step at a time’ as the elder aids the younger on their walk.

‘Let’s droop our eyes to the river’ is a descriptive poem, taken from Doc’s love of the countryside, especially the Yorkshire Dales where we had many family holidays. I feel that the serenity of the scene and my son’s downward gaze reflect the sentiment of the poem perfectly.

With nursery rhyme references, this poem reflects the thoughts of a child falling asleep. The poem mentions ‘night sun setting bright’, as the image shows the evening sun, the end of the day for a small child.

The next two poems combine to describe one of Doc’s favourite times of the year, bonfire night. This first image shows my brother in law, family firework master since Doc’s passing and on this occasion, also pirate chief. My sister, shown under the heading ‘At my party’ revels in her role as hostess and in a light hearted manner, the other images reflect some of the words in the poem; the men showing ‘when one loves’, my nephew checking out if his hair has ‘stayed straight’ and bottom right, the faces ‘a little white, Cleopatra like, not tarty’.

Hull Fair, the final meeting place for fair workers to celebrate the end of the season and a large part of Hull’s history. The images provide a general feel of the fair without literally representing the actual words of the poem.

I’m unsure as to exactly why I felt that this image fit the poem, it was initially more of a subconscious pairing; however I will try to unravel my thoughts:

The image is of my son following a flock of geese yet gives the impression of a shepherd, guiding them. I feel that it is this impression that fits with the act of taking our troubles to God in prayer and asking for guidance. The lone person in a vast expanse of land hints at the loneliness referenced in verse two while that same land reflects the peace and tranquillity spoken of later in the poem. I feel that if Doc had the chance to read this poem again, he would find the image fitting. He loved this little corner of the world; it calmed him and inspired much of his poetry.

The last image in my mum’s book fits the poem only on a personal level to our family but I have added it because I love it. The morning that Doc passed away, as I was driving home from the hospital I noticed the sunrise. Doc loved a sunrise and most mornings, was up early enough to witness it. It reminded me of the many morning walks we’d had on our holidays to buy bread and milk as well as the more annoying walks before school when he tried to make me learn stuff!
My sisters and I chose this poem for the last page to highlight the ‘perhapsness’ involved when someone passes away. There is so much unknown, where they have gone, are they still with us, how will we feel, cope, love without them? Despite the ‘perhapsness’, we will always have the morning sun to bring us hope.