The Black Iris

· by · in dVerse, poetry. ·

From its burnished eye,
transfixed
I’m held,
kiln-forged to my manifesto
of mannerism & mood
still, in harmony with
shades of soot
sfumato ink washed
& embraced
in gentle bloom.

Georgia O’Keeffe, The Black Iris (1926), oil on canvas, Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, gift of The Burnett Foundation

Today Melissa hosts dVerse Poetics with a selection of paintings by Georgia O’Keefe as well as a selection of words to use in our poem.

May 6, 2025

23 responses to “The Black Iris”

  2. We chose the same painting, Björn! And I love that they are so different. I see you focused on the ‘burnished eye’, and I love the ‘shades of soot / sfumato ink washed’. You saw the bloom while I saw something else.

  5. Short but still impactful! I love “kiln-forged to my manifesto
    of mannerism & mood”

    and “with
    shades of soot
    sfumato ink washed
    & embraced
    in gentle bloom”

  6. I was tempted by that image of ‘Black Iris’, as my ex-partner has had some dark experiences of eye surgery recently, now resolving at last.

    I love what you did with it. Like Melissa I am taken away by

    shades of soot
    sfumato ink washed
    & embraced
    in gentle bloom

    Thank you Bjorn!

  9. I think you had a very keen eye on this iris, pulling out some beautiful interpretations. I enjoyed the video too, complimenting the gray. Love that group as well.

  14. O’Keeffe draws out many interpretations straddling the line between abstract and representational – great take Björn…

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