Jane Costain is a long-time member of the poetry group, The Gamuts. She has written poetry for many years and publishes selected poems in journals including The MacGuffin, Third Wednesday, and Front Range Review. With a MA in Creative Arts in Learning from Lesley College, Jane has taught in public school for over thirty years.
The poems in this collection reflect her special interest in art history and the time proven masters of painting.
(We have chosen not to show you the art visualized in Jane Costain poems. Poetry is the art we are featuring here, let Jane’s fine word-craft paint the pictures for you.)
“OLYMPIA”
after Édouard Manet’s painting
There she is—spread out
before you, naked
but for one shoe dangling,
an orchid in her hair,
a ribbon necklace—
the white glare of all that flesh!
She stares straight at you,
a bit bored by your presence, you,
just one of many. Do you even
notice the bouquet of flowers
from some admirer offered
by the maid fully dressed, dark skin
blending into the background?
Or the small black cat?
With those wide-open eyes
what has he witnessed?
What else is there
unseen in the shadows?
You focus on the pleasure
of what lies before you—
Olympia, who unlike you,
has nothing to hide.
“HALF-PAST THREE (THE POET)”
after Marc Chagall’s painting
It is magical, this time, early
in the morning. The room revolves
in a kaleidoscope of colors—
red, blue, green, white. My friend
paints feverishly to capture all
on canvas. And I, with a cup
of coffee in one hand, hold a pen
in the other, as phrases in Cyrillic script
spill from a page of my notebook.
Inspiration pours freely as wine
from the bottle floating nearby.
The green cat licks my sleeve
turning my upside-down head
the same color that she is.
In this moment, I brim
with brilliance and a prism of words
spins within me. It is all I can do
to write them down fast enough.
“THE YELLOW DRESS”
after the painting, Henri Matisse
Day after day, she sits
in front of the open window,
shutters partway lowered
to shield her from the hot
Mediterranean sun.
Under the wide-brimmed hat
her hair is still dark
after all these years, her figure
girlish, spine upright
within the slim bodice.
No sigh visible
in her prim rigidity.
Yet bare arms hint
an incandescent yearning,
a yearning hidden in
the folds of the long skirt.
Evenings, under cover of darkness,
she crosses the now cool tiles
and removes her hat,
the confining dress
to lie in quiet solitude
until morning, when once again
she must ready herself
to make public her waiting.
“TREES AND UNDERGROWTH “
after Vincent van Gogh’s painting
There appears no way out. I am surrounded
by tall trees. Small splashes of sunlight daub
the leaves as the light plays on the many shades
of green. Thick undergrowth buries any path.
I could keep walking and these woods might open
to a blue sky spread wide over a field of sunflowers.
But there is no hurry. An occasional bird call
or a slight rustle of leaves breaks the silence.
Lost in the woods, I find myself…at peace.
“A VASE OF FLOWERS”
after “Room in Brooklyn.”
a painting by Edward Hopper
On the table before a window
a vase secures green foliage,
its white flowers gleaming
in the sunlight.
In the shadows, a woman
in a rocking chair
stares down at her lap,
preoccupied with something
other than the flowers
or the view of the sun on rooftops.
She remains inert –
her dark interior
as sparsely furnished as the room.
Yet something
caused her to place
the flowers there –
perhaps a longing
to fill the emptiness,
open herself
to the vibrant world.
Desire waits
on the table by the window.
These poems are from her book Small Windows, Poems by Jane Costain, Published by Main Street Rag Publishing Company, Charlotte, North Carolina.
If you would like to enjoy the rest of these poems, you may purchase the book, Small Windows, Poems by Jane Costain, via email. Send your request (name, email address, post office address, a phone number would be helpful- but is not required, and the number of books you desire) to <janeadrie@yahoo.com>. A response will be forthcoming.
If you still want to see the artworks described, here are links to the paintings.
You must copy and paste the links.
Édouard Manet’s OLYMPIA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympia_(Manet)
Marc Chagall’s HALF-PAST THREE (THE POET)
https://www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/51267.html
Henri Matisse THE YELLOW DRESS
https://www.1000museums.com/art_works/henri-matisse-the-yellow-dress
Vincent van Gogh’s TREES AND UNDERGROWTH
https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/collection/s0066V1962
Edward Hopper Room in Brooklyn
https://www.mfa.org/collections/object/room-in-brooklyn-32499
