Continuing on from yesterday’s Ekphrastic poetry workshop, here is my poetic response to Shirley Drayton’s creative piece of textile artwork “Golden Sunflowers”
A Banner Of Sunflowers
look!
up there
above the War’s
darkest clouds
there is a blue banner
embroided with sunflowers
swaying
through a hole
in the eastern sky
bearing a message
of ‘Hello’
or is it ‘Goodbye’?
a sweeping reminder
from our Ancestors
“we feel your suffering and pain
from the merciless hard rain
blood filled rivers and cratered plains
smoke filled skylines and cracked windowpanes”
“however, we also know
beyond the broken horizon
the sunflower seeds of hope
will germinate again
and future seeds for peace
will regenerate a new campaign“
Ivor Steven (c) May 2022
Ivor.Plumber/Poet 
This is a beautiful response Ivor.
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Thank you Sadje 😊💕🌏☮️
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You’re welcome my friend
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Oh, I love this response
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Thank you Beth … 💕🌏😊☮️🌻
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Nice work, Ivor. Lets hope some of those seeds fall back down on the beatuiful Ukraine!
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Thanks Dwight .. I’m hoping so too ☮️🌻
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Wonderful!
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Her intricate textile artwork was awe-inspiring on close inspection 🌻
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Here’s to those seeds of hope, Ivor!🌻
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In my imagination I am hoping for a better future after the dust has settled .. I have been to a few of these Ekphrastic workshops and I thoroughly enjoy the concept 🌻☮️💕
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Your poem is the perfect companion to Shirley Drayton’s “Golden Sunflowers”, Ivor. Her artwork inspired you so much. 🙂 And add in that vid/song and my eyes are filled with tears. You’ve presented 3 beautiful works of art today! Thank you! 🙂
🌻🇺🇦 🌻💙 💛 🌻
(((HUGS))) 🙂
PS…I looked up the words to the song and found this…
“The night is so bright you could gather needles” is a Ukrainian expression meaning that there’s so much light from the moon and the starts that you can see a needle lying on the ground.” 🙂
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Thank you dear Carolyn for your gorgeous piece of investigation … they are indeed beautiful words .. and I am sure they’ll appear in one of my poems one day 🌻💕☮️🎶🐶 ((hugs))
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The opening lines connected with me so much, as I just loved the tone and hopeful writing that carried this narrative deeper into itself.
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Thank you kindly Jaya .. the intricate textile artwork was very impressive and I am so pleased my words expressed those emotions 🌻☮️😊
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This is very beautiful Ivor.
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Thank you Pragalbha .. the Ekphrastic event was a thoroughly enjoyable and impressive day 🌻☮️💕😊
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Ivor, a very hopeful and eloquent poem. The Ukrainian song is flawlessly performed and beautiful. Wonderful post! ❤
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Thank you kindly Cheryl .. the event was a wonderful day and hopefully my article expressed my thoughts from the day ☮️🌏🌻💕
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Yes, Ivor! How beautiful and inspiring the tapestry is, and you incorporated it well into your poem. ❤
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The event was a good for writers group things are gradually getting back to normal 😊🌏
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You string words that touch my heart and all of us here that your reach Ivor. And the song.. so beautiful!! 💖💖💖
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The was song in Ukranian was still outstanding, and I just had to pair it with my poem … and wasn’t sure how my poem would work, but I think it turned out ok …. sometimes my emotional thoughts are difficult to express in words … haha .. I have too many thoughts , and I don’t have words in my limited vocabulary … 💛💙🌏☮🌻
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This perfect response matured well
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Thank you Derrick … and matured is the right word, … I had the ideas, but the words brewed very slowly ..
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a realistic but hopeful poem featured around my cousin … amazing song, thanks!
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Your Cousin ?
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the sunflower … come on surely you noticed that I AM a sunflower Ivor 😉
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Sorry … tireness has numbed me ..
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What a lovely pairing Ivor 🌻
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Thank you Colleen… the Ekphrastic event was quite inspiring 😊🌏🌻
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Love your response, Ivor…very eloquent. 💙
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Thank you kindly Punam
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My pleasure.
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This is a fabulous poem, from start to finish every word is a gem. Such a true commentary on these times yet, it is so poetic… truly a work of art.
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Thank you kindly Mona for your lovely comments … The Ekphrastic event was truly a inspirational day .. 🤗💕🌻☮
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Absolutely beautiful 💜💜💜
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Thank you Willow … it was a beautiful and inspirational piece of artwork 🖼 😊🌏💕🌻☮️
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I’m hopeful but also skeptical. Between all that has gone on these last two years, Ukraine, and now these horrific mass shootings in the US, my heart is hurting. But lovely writing, Ivor!
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Thank you Susi … our hearts are riddled with bullet holes , .. with childrens blood touching our souls
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