Rodrigo Dela Pena

February 21, 2019

“Self-Portrait” by Rodrigo Dela Pena, Jr.Posted by

Ekphrastic Challenge, January 2019: Artist’s Choice

 

Belle of the Ball by Vasu Tolia

Image: “Belle of the Ball” by Vasu Tolia. “Self-Portrait” was written by Rodrigo Dela Pena, Jr. for Rattle’s Ekphrastic Challenge, January 2019, and selected as the Artist’s Choice.

[download: PDF / JPG]

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Rodrigo Dela Pena, Jr.

SELF-PORTRAIT

If I am turned away
from you, it is because
I am giving my attention
to the distance, that vanishing
point where all lines converge.
If I am outlined while all
around me is a blur
of pastel pinks and soft
purples, it only means
that stillness takes the shape
of what the heart longs for
in silence. Imagine
my face, a life hidden
between dreaming and waking
up, between childhood and old
age. I am the woman
whose breath is the air no one
can see, whose hem reaches
the ground beneath my feet.
I gather what colors slip
through my fingers. I fill
each minute to empty
it back, each moment beating
again and again and again.

—from Ekphrastic Challenge
January 2019, Artist’s Choice

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Comment from the artist, Vasu Tolia: “I felt like ‘Self-Portrait’ recreated the magic I had felt conceiving and creating this painting. The way this poet captures the lines depicting the blur and sharpness and describes the hues of the paints so vividly in simple words touched me the most. The poise, purpose, and dilemma in this woman’s mind are also beautifully blended in this poem. It opened my eyes to the notion that unconsciously, I was portraying a version of myself.”

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May 26, 2016

“[Here, Said the Ocean]” by Rodrigo Dela Pena, Jr.Posted by

Ekphrastic Challenge, April 2016: Editor’s Choice

 

Photograph by Robert Dash
Photograph: “Into the Mystic” by Robert Dash. “[Here, Said the Ocean]” was written by Rodrigo Dela Pena, Jr., for Rattle’s Ekphrastic Challenge, April 2016, and selected by Timothy Green as the Editor’s Choice winner.

[download broadside]

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Rodrigo Dela Pena, Jr.

[HERE, SAID THE OCEAN]

Here, said the ocean to the ship

And here, said the towering sails to the wind

It was good, and there was evening

Here, said the body to music

O hear, said the lyre to the bones of the ear

And it was good, and there was morning

Here, said the breath, said the murmuring heart

Said the blank face of paper to the ink

—Ekphrastic Challenge, April 2016
Editor’s Choice Winner

[download audio]

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Comment from the editor, Timothy Green, on his selection: “I’m always looking for the poem that works—but works like no other. With its concise and confident voice, Rodrigo Dela Pena, Jr., created the most unique artistic object to pair with this photograph. There’s beauty to the lines, but it’s also the kind of poem where imagination transcends intention, that pushes the boundaries of what can be articulated until it becomes something truly new.”

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