Artistic Preservation

My biggest regret (after

Not splatter painting my bedroom walls), 

Is not finding a way

To house dance in museums. 

All I ask is that when death

Grips my bones, you find someone

To dance with my ashes

Because even in death, 

Art is my only reason

For existence. 

When my rib cage becomes firewood

Light my spine with torches,

And spread my remains like oil paint

Across a canvas, 

And let the stage be my body

Preserved in a museum. 

Reviews

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Dana, this is an amazing write.

it is like allusion, illusion and resolution all in one.

we write to leave something worthwhile behind...but will there be something saveable in the ashes?

will our legacy end up in some museum of artistic endeavor...

or will we just go into the ground, with someone there to throw our words into the hole with it...just to bury the memory away for good...

i am so mesmerized by your phrasing...so fresh and viable.

jacob

[Dana Alsamsam]

thank you so much! thankfully us, as poets, can leave something of our choosing behind... a reason to love the internet possibly. even this poem itself will hopefully be here long after i'm gone. i genuinely appreciate your always kind and insightful reviews. they mean a lot!

[sparkle]

very accurate words , very accurate describtion , (( All I ask is that when death
Grips my bones, you find someone
To dance with my ashes ))

very nice words , I liked them the most

[Clockwork]

I like how you have a strong central speaker in this piece. She is clear in who she is and what she wants. The bit about the paint in the first stanza showed a lot of personality and I thought it was a nice touch.

The passion for art in the second stanza is really awesome. I agree completely with your sentiments there.

My favorite part of the piece is the first two lines in the third stanza and then your two end lines.

One suggestion I have regards those middle two lines in that stanza. I almost think that stanza could just exist if they weren't there. I know that there is the setting of the museum, and having the body become part of a painting makes sense. Although, I'm not sure that those lines fit with the original theme of dance that you established in the opening. Perhaps you could morph those lines into dance references that would tie back to the opener?

Either way, I like whats going on in this piece and the message that it delivers about art. Quite inspiring :-)

[Dana Alsamsam]

thanks so much for your suggestion! the painting reference kind of has its own little personal meaning to me that i guess doesn't make too much sense in this context...in my brain it fits perfectly there, but i definitely understand what you're saying. thank you so much for your kind suggestion! i appreciate your insightful and thorough review :)

[Clockwork]

Ah that makes sense. You're welcome, it was a pleasure.

:-)

[ChemicalMadness]

Dark AND light? Someone should base their thesis on you, hon!!!! I vote Astro!!! ;)

[Dana Alsamsam]

why that's a nice thing to say :) and astro and i have become rather poetically close recently, but i doubt that i have enough substance to write much about.

[Tomahawk Joe]

such an artistic way of expressing yourself, a rare talent

[Astro]

I think you should contact Gunther Von Hagen's and ask to be preserved in dance Dana. Leave the fire for your poetry and ashes to fill the mouths of those that have nothing nice to say. Interesting read as always, I love the image of your immolation.

[Dana Alsamsam]

thank you! i think death is a poets friends because i think about it so much and produce so much writing based on it. maybe one day i'll get far enough in the dance world that something of my life will be in a museum...that would be cool. thanks for the review as always :)

[Astro]

You're welcome. Hope you dance your way to the top!

[J_Star]

This would make an excellent performance art piece. It's visceral and real and heartfelt, and it would be so cool to see someone really giving it life (not that it doesn't already have it, but you know what I mean). Great stuff.

[Dana Alsamsam]

thank you so much! i hope to start poetry readings next year if i can gather the courage so i'll definitely keep this piece in mind. thank you again for reading and your kind words!

[kublakhan27]

Wow, this one really left me in awe...I'm not even sure if I have words to expressed how enthralled I am by this poetic piece of self-reflection...I do know one thing, I often wonder (seriously) if I'd still be alive if I didn't write, and of course, I think it's safe to say that we all wonder at some point how exactly we will be remembered when we're gone...you've presented these dilemmas in a totally unique and original way though...this is one for the library :)

[Dana Alsamsam]

ahhh thank you so incredibly much for your kind words! i have always been strangely enthralled by the concept of death and remembrance and this is just a daily thought process for me. at least as poets we know that something of our choosing about ourselves will be left behind and hopefully preserved. thank you for reading and your always insightful reviews!

[kublakhan27]

You're most welcome :) I know what you mean, I think about it all the time...I don't think it's a strange thing to ponder, not for writers anyway haha

[Pete Langley]

No way of knowing what part of you will be remembered. I suspect ,for me, it might be a toenail clipping or an eyelash....but posterity is fickle. If you could see the future you`d probably say "...oh, surely not THAT!" Nicely done, Dana. P.

[Dana Alsamsam]

you'd think at my age i wouldn't be so hung up on death and remembrance, but frankly, it's one of the things that i think about the most. thankfully we- being poets- at least have something we know will be left behind. thanks for reading and your kind words!

[xxlheart]

another wonderful write with depth and classic style. truly enjoy reading you.

[Dana Alsamsam]

thank you so much! your kind reviews always mean a lot to me:)