CAROUSEL HORSES

the grand artist, ancestry art

Ancestry, mystery of one's core

Great-Grandfather, mentor, patriarch

carver of carousel horses

adorned with colors

of an artist's palette

inspiration for generations to flourish

Across the torrent waters

of a vast ocean

he begets his progeny

the artist's palette

settles in the hands

of my father

He, out of many siblings

inherits the consummate gene

glued to his canvas

like a musician embraces his harp

he brushes landscapes feverishly

rolling green farmland

against a vast turquoise sky

oils of color that stretch to the earth's crust

Ancestry lines smack me in the face

I envy my father's talent

luck and patience speak

as I unearth my own

painting and poetry

an ancestral reality

grateful for the gentle horse carver

Reviews

[jacob erin-cilberto]

and you paint beautifully within your poetry.
I find an interesting analogy between heritage and a carousel....the horses going around in a circle. Like the circle of life and ancestry and how different folks find themselves repeating traits of ones who had gone before them...genes passed down to the next one in the saddle.
and the music plays on.
j.

[Betty Hermelee]

Ah Jacob, you’re the best, so spot on with my poetry; this is reality! Thank you always,Betty

[Patricia Wedel]

dear Betty... your Poetry is painted with moments of reaching for a Golden Ring... a Classic Painting of Words. Happy New Year almost 2025... gently, Pat

[Betty Hermelee]

Thank you dear Pat for your lovely review...hopeful for a peaceful New Year!
Warmly, B

[barleygirl]

I love the way your poem storyline traces the lineage with a blend of envy & & admiration & hopefulness . . . it can be felt, how much you admire your ancestral inspirations & you sound a little like a young girl with hopeful aspirations, whereas I would wager to say you are a fine established poet (& evidently a painter, too!) in your own right! (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Betty Hermelee]

Wow Margie, what a compliment! Yes I am fortunate to have the genes for whatever! I love your review! Hugs,Betty

[Patricia Wedel]

dearest Betty... when my children were young,
I took them to an Amusement Park where the Merry Go Round or Carousel
had hand Painted Horses... each one different... an Artist's Collection I will
always remember in myMind's Eye. And then there was the song, "Tomorrow... we'll go to the Fair... we'll ride painted Horses with wind in our hair... tomorrow we'll go to the Fair. " Then when my daughter Edie was about seven years old, I took her to Wolfe Trappe for the Performing Arts in McLean, Virginia, and we saw the Play "Carousel" with Robert Goulet in person and up close (we were in the third row). So you can Imagine why I love your Poem.
truly, Pat

[Betty Hermelee]

Wow, amazing times, that are fading quickly; I too as a young girls in NYC remember riding the carousel in Central Park!
When I found out my great grandfather carved them, I was so inspired to create, with both poetry and painting!!! Thanks for your lovely review!! Fondly, Betty

[Patricia Wedel]

dearest Betty... amazing that your Great Grandfather carved the Horses on the Carousel in Central Park. My husband’s Mother Jane, was an Artist 👩‍🎨 and oil painted many scenes and portraits. One oil painting is of The Staten Island Ferry. After she passed six years ago, that painting now hangs in the Staten Island Museum. May she Rest In Peace. truly, Pat

[Dave Brown]

He must have been quite a talent
I tried to just do a painting of a carousel moons ago but it was so complicated that I gave up on it all

[Betty Hermelee]

Thank you Dave; yes; it's definitely a trade from the "old world"..but luckily for me ,the genes passed on in some way...Thank you for your kind review, fondly, Betty

[LJ]

This is good. There are many big connections between the stanzas, and between the beginning and the end. That wonderful life carving and painting horses is threaded through each part, and we learn who and how the talent is won/worn as time passes. The ends and the beginnings of each life and life-pursuit are carefully and gently touched by your own art, poetry. You caught this reader totally; I couldn't stop reading this. I can almost hear music weaving through the words. Thank you!

[Betty Hermelee]

What a lovely review and all of this true! Thank you so much!

[Chris Shaw]

I think it is wonderful when that creative gene is passed down the generations Betty. You have it in your blood. Your great Grandfather carved carousel horses, and how I loved those as a child with their slick painted faces. My great Grandfather laid mosaic flooring and travelled the world doing it Sadly thst:s where the creative part of my family ended, till I found it. I find it fascinating when exploring my ancestry. Your poem was a pleasure to read. Rich with colours and use of language. A fine write.

Chris.

[Betty Hermelee]

Thank you Chris for that lovely review; this is all true which I found out as an adult; actually there were more artists in the family but it would have taken me pages to mention them!

[Davidgeo]

Sometimes you get labelled as vanilla. But I've read enough of you to know. You really are an outstanding writer.

I hope it comes around again at least one more time for you. (isn't that what kids are for?)

[Betty Hermelee]

WOW!!! Nice to meet you! And thank you for your review and amazing comment! I'm blushing!