Today’s poem is another response to a prompt from Richard at Poetic Asides. This prompt was to write and ekphrastic poem. John Drury’s Poetry Dictionary, defines ekphrastic poetry as “Poetry that imitates, describes, critiques, dramatizes, reflects upon, or otherwise responds to a work of nonliterary art, especially the visual.” Of the two works provided (I couldn’t write on both, sorry. I’m just now barely caught up!), I chose this Annie Leibovitz’s “Pocahontas.” part of a larger series of slightly surreal photography for Disney. I know, not what you expected of me, eh? Inspiration is a fickle mistress. What can I say?

Compare the photograph of Jessica Beil to an earlier rendition of Pocahontas and her son.

A life-sized barbie doll
with dark hair and dirty feet,
a confused young doe in tow.
This is not your grandmother’s
Pocohantas. Her hair in the wind;
I get that. Her skimpy outfit
made of animal skin, why not?
Jessica does Disney. You can’t
expect a propper history.

The leaves are falling, fore-
shadow of an end to her way
of life. The ship in the distance
announcing the arrival of Smith.
But the doe, chasing her
like she’s leapt right out of
the forest fire with Bambi,
or she’s a native American
version of Doctor Doolittle.

The deer shouts to warn
her; “Run! Return to the forest,
don’t let them find you!”
She chases after to pull
her princess back, away from barbie
doll dreams, back to the medicine
of berries and roots, the spirit
of the land leaping forward
to prevent an inevitable end.