Sunday, January 29, 2012

Late Lover

A diamond short, a decade late
I come to stand outside your gate
Unlock and open, let me in
Forgive me, love; what is my sin?
I fled from you across the land
But now I ask you for your hand
A decade late, a diamond short
I can't imagine why you snort
My limbs are frail, my breath is cold
I must admit I may look old
I fall, I kneel, why
I implore
You are the woman I adore
I feel so weak, I feel so brittle
Don't touch! I may be impotent a little
You loved me onceor so I thought
Stop! Take your fingers off my throat


I painted Late Lover from the point of view of the girl he had left behind. She and you, the observer, are one. He is yearning to come back home. A blue cape is flung around his shoulders, which allows the eye to stay with him, rather than drift off to the background, seen in the spaces between his flimsy ribs. More importantly, you can see the withered flowers he lays at your feet, and the ring being cast off your finger, straight onto his head. The words 'A diamond short, a decade late' are carved into the door frame, perhaps with your fingernails, scratching letter after letter over the long-drawn-out years of waiting for him... 

Having painted him all day, the voice of Late Lover came to me at night. The next morning I wrote his poem down in a single breath, and never made any corrections, never replaced a word or adjusted the rhythm--because it came to me completely ready.



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Thursday, January 26, 2012

Cover Design for a Poetry Book


When my father passed away I found his poems, written in Hebrew during his late eighties and early nineties. It has taken a few years to organize them into a coherent whole. The book is now available on Amazon and you can 'Look Inside' to read the first few poems.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Nobody's Child

Don’t open your eyes
Try not to see
Things are no longer
Where things ought to be

That voice—is it her?
Behind a closed door
She calls you a stranger
Your mother no more

Breathe through the moment
Turn, turn your eyes
The past you imagined
Was all lies, lies, lies

Things are no longer
Where things ought to be
Who is this stranger
Is it still me?


Detail from the cover of Home

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"The book overflows with some of the most eloquent poetic moments in print"

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Cover Design for Apart from Love

Being new to the printing process of book covers, I've learned that it can be a challenge to get graphics with the contrast and vibrancy you would expect. Here is an excellent article about it, a must read for anyone interested in getting the best result of their cover in print: Better Color from Print on Demand

Here is the audiobook cover of Apart from Love:


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Thursday, January 19, 2012

This Tissue Is Me

Shimmering luster, let me try, let me reach you
Layers beyond layers of red, all aglow
With trembling fingers I touch... Flimsy tissue
It comes down upon me, folding high into low 

I dance with abandon, with no inhibition,
Entangled in fabric, I can no longer flee
Can't breath, for now I can see the strange fusion
Now I know: this tissue is me


My poem is inspired by my art: here is a set three panels, three oil paintings. I offer it to your interpretation, if the figures are dancing out of joy, or getting themselves tied in utter frustration... When I painted the picture, I likened the red fabric to chewing gum on the floor, into which you step and can never release yourself. The more you fight to free yourself, the more you become entangled. 

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Wednesday, January 18, 2012

e-Book Publishing Made Easy

I would like to give credit to the website of writer Helen Hanson, for walking me through some of the pitfalls in converting my book, Apart from Love, to its Kindle format. If you are a self-published writer, and would like to convert to Kindle format, this is a good place to begin: The Killer Whale: .Mobi Dick