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      February 21, 2019Self-PortraitRodrigo Dela Pena

      Image: “Belle of the Ball” by Vasu Tolia. “Self-Portrait” was written by Rodrigo Dela Pena, Jr. for Rattle’s Ekphrastic Challenge, January 2019, and selected as the Artist’s Choice.
      If I am turned away
      from you, it is because
      I am giving my attention
      to the distance, that vanishing
      point where all lines converge.
      If I am outlined while all
      around me is a blur
      of pastel pinks and soft
      purples, it only means
      that stillness takes the shape
      of what the heart longs for
      in silence. Imagine
      my face, a life hidden
      between dreaming and waking
      up, between childhood and old
      age. I am the woman
      whose breath is the air no one
      can see, whose hem reaches
      the ground beneath my feet.
      I gather what colors slip
      through my fingers. I fill
      each minute to empty
      it back, each moment beating
      again and again and again.

      from Ekphrastic Challenge

      Comment from the artist, Vasu Tolia

      “I felt like ‘Self-Portrait’ recreated the magic I had felt conceiving and creating this painting. The way this poet captures the lines depicting the blur and sharpness and describes the hues of the paints so vividly in simple words touched me the most. The poise, purpose, and dilemma in this woman’s mind are also beautifully blended in this poem. It opened my eyes to the notion that unconsciously, I was portraying a version of myself.”

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