1. Still Life
Wandering in leafless shrubbery…
Cold winter winds brought clouds so somber,
rain so penetrating
Forlorn regions of dreary space,
that reservoir of frost and snow
My heart swollen to lameness
by sharp air,
began to heal under the gentler breathings
of Hope
The horizon bounded a great pleasure,
outside the guarded walls of my garden
Noble summits,
rich in verdure and shadow
Blue peaks no longer stiffened in frost
and shrouded in snow
A pale gold gleam remains
in overshadowed spots
like scatterings
of the sweetest lustre
I enjoy this often,
unwatched and
almost alone
This still life
VaL Smit ©
2. Night and Day
Crisscrossing midnight grey lines
seams coming apart
in little black eruptions;
shuddering breaths,
a vast beast
dying in agony
The sea gleams phosphorescent silver
lit by a moon in cloudless sky;
a soft dying light
ripples across the water
under blinking evening stars
A warm, wet breeze
leaks little threads of mist
out of hellish cracks;
watery lines of yellow appear
under scudding silver clouds
Choreographed by the breeze
those born of wing meanders,
in vivid relief against the grey,
the aura-like glow of day
VaL Smit ©
VaL Smit is a South African artist based in Cape Town. She writes ekphrastic poetry per artwork created. She uses various media in portraying images that she feels fitting to deliver the message of the words she pens down. Her work has been published in various online journals including Glomag, The Chachalaka Review and The West Review.