“What It Is Is What It Is Not and What It Is Not Is What It Is” by Karan KapoorPosted by Rattle
Ekphrastic Challenge, May 2021: Editor’s Choice
Image: “Contradictions of Being” by Neena Sethia. “What It Is Is What It Is Not and What It Is Not Is What It Is” was written by Karan Kapoor for Rattle’s Ekphrastic Challenge, May 2021, and selected as the Editor’s Choice.
Comment from the Editor, Timothy Green: “In his note that came with the entry, Karan described this poem as ‘a string of aphorisms, though born from the same impulse as a poem. And in my head, all these aphorisms are waving a flag that is Neena’s painting.’ I can’t put it any better than that. The poem explores the central theme of the painting, but verbally, creating a deep dialogue between the two forms of art. Each line is memorable and surprising, and their accumulating mystery invites multiple readings—and further explorations of the painting.”
“Gods, Monsters, and Complex PTSD” by Elizabeth Train-BrownPosted by Rattle
Ekphrastic Challenge, May 2021: Artist’s Choice
Image: “Contradictions of Being” by Neena Sethia. “Gods, Monsters, and Complex PTSD” was written by Elizabeth Train-Brown for Rattle’s Ekphrastic Challenge, May 2021, and selected as the Artist’s Choice.
Comment from the artist, Neena Sethia: “I loved this poem because it talks so beautifully about voice and its various contradictions, language and translations and everything that gets lost in between. There are several memorable lines in this poem, but my favourite was its end: ‘I feel like a woman’s words in a man’s book. There, but in his voice.’ I think that these lines themselves encapsulate the whole painting.”