For this weeks blog in my Humanities course, we were to find a painting of some sort, and write a poem that went along with the painting. We learned how to write a poem that goes with a painting from the website "Amy Newman's poetry workshop." There are three ways to write a poem for a painting: as a person or object inside the painting, as the painter, or as yourself perceiving the art. Once you have done all three sections, you could use all three of them together in one poem, or use just one of them to focus on.

I chose to focus on one, which was the one where we wrote as a person or object inside the painting. The painting I chose to use, was Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh. I have always been intrigued by his paintings, how he uses his brush strokes, and forms everything together with different colors colliding.  I chose to write my poem using an object in the painting, the tall black figure on the left side of the painting. I chose an object instead of the other two types of writing poems, because I felt like that poem was more interesting, and had more emotion and feeling, because it was something in the painting, talking about the painting, rather than someone on the outside, telling what they see. It feels more real to me.

Here is the link to the painting:

http://www.vangoghgallery.com/catalog/Painting/508/Starry-Night.html

I found this painting in on the website of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, NY. 

Now, here is my poem:

Light in the Night 

From the flickering

stars above me,

to the buildings that 

sleep below...

every breath of wind

and structure in between...

To the grass that

whispers in the breeze

and up to the highest belfry...

the hillsides in the distance

in the stillness of the night...

I see it all.

Because I tower over it,

and from above me

I see the starry, starry sky

giving the town its light.

Yet I am still black as night.

-Melanie Hertzler