Silas Thorne's Journal

1. Troyon, 'Field Outside Paris' 1845-1851

The smell of hay and damp earth
rain hanging, the air about to burst.
Will we make it to shelter?
The hills are shadowed by the clouds.

2. Monet, 'Waterlilies'

The leaves are clouds upon the pond of sky
What lies beneath them? Water?
What it is reflects only shadows.

3. Monet, 'Charing Cross Bridge (overcast day)'

On the bridge the smell of
mandarins and leafy meadows
burning in fires of chalk and cream,
the shadow forms of buildings rise against us,
the smoke impenetrable.

4. Monet, 'Poplars at Giverny'

The poplars take the sky.
We sneak between them to the light,
and rise to heaven as smoke.

5. Monet, 'Meadow at Giverny'

The sun dapples on the grass.
In wind, the still of the green water is broken,
purple flows bob to a fire of trees.

6. Monet, 'Rough weather at Etretat'

The splash of the waters
the hiss of the sea
will drag us down to its belly.
The towering rocks, our earthy friends,
will not save us.
Step back! or the sea's mouth will open,
drag us away in a Japanese swirl of death.

7. Monet, 'Fisherman's cottage on the cliffs at Varengeville'

We are exposed to the breath of sea
while white sails reflect the sky's drift of cloud,
the scent of wild flowers, and salt.

8. Renoir, 'Woman with a parasol and small child on a sunlit hillside'

You cover your face from sunlight,
the lush damp grass beneath you
merges with your rustling cool fabric.
Watch your child, before the colour in its cheeks
bleeds into the dark grass.