“Nuclear Family Warfare” by Jane Noel DabatePosted by Rattle
Ekphrastic Challenge, October 2016: Editor’s Choice
Image: “Family Matters” by Alexandra de Kempf. “Nuclear Family Warfare” was written by Jane Noel Dabate for Rattle’s Ekphrastic Challenge, October 2016, and selected by Timothy Green as the Editor’s Choice winner.
Comment from the editor on this selection: “There’s so much going on in this collage by Alexandra de Kempf that it’s easy to miss some of the details. Part guide, part microscope, Jane Noel Dabate’s poem serves to focus and slow our attention. Though mostly descriptive, ‘Nuclear Family Warfare’ illuminates the image and adds to its impact with many unforgettable lines.”
Ekphrastic Challenge, October 2016: Artist’s Choice
Photograph: “Family Matters” by Alexandra de Kempf. “PTSD” was written by Bill Glose for Rattle’s Ekphrastic Challenge, October 2016, and selected by de Kempf as the Artist’s Choice winner.
Comment from the artist, Alexandra de Kempf, on this selection: “As an interpretation of my work and as a story with no end. No end to the PTSD, with which my husband, my child and I, are still struggling. It is not as dramatic as we have seen sometimes on TV. At least no blood has ran. But reality can be very subtle. There are no more weapons than words, a sharp tongue and the noise. But the wounds are visible, and the scar tissue too. Thank God, words can heal, too.” (website)