I spent a couple of months working on this series of drawings with integrated poetry, completing the final piece about a week ago. While I wrote the poem some time ago, the idea to combine it with drawings came later. This isn't my first foray into this kind of art; I've shared similar work on HIVE multiple times in the past. I truly love this style and feel like I've finally found my artistic voice.
In the past, I primarily focused on drawing portraits, but I felt a need to be more expressive with my art. I experimented with abstract pieces, but they didn’t resonate with me emotionally. This year, I rediscovered poetry, something I've been writing for a long time but never shared. It inspired me to blend these two mediums and see what I could create.
Creating poetry art has been incredibly fulfilling, and I plan to continue honing my artistic voice while improving my poetry. Although I'm self-conscious about the quality of my poetry, especially since English is my third language, I focus on creating for myself. If others don’t like it, cool, that's fine. If they do, I truly appreciate it.
❤️ The Materials ❤️
I primarily work with paper and graphite pencils, which I love for their elegance and simplicity. These drawings are sketched on A3-sized paper.
❤️ The Poetry - "Amnesia" ❤️
I have been intrigued by amnesia for quite some time. What is amnesia?
Amnesia is the loss of memories. These memories may be of events and experiences that happened in the past few seconds, in the past few days, or even in the distant past. You may also be unable to recall experiences after the event that caused your amnesia. ~ WebMD
Did you know there are six types of amnesia? The one that intrigues me the most is Dissociative Amnesia. This type of amnesia is marked by an inability to recall important personal information, typically of a traumatic or stressful nature, which goes beyond ordinary forgetfulness. It's often triggered by severe trauma or extreme stress.
Dissociative Amnesia can lead individuals to forget most or all of their personal information, sometimes even causing them to travel away from home or adopt a new identity. I remember reading about such cases in the news. One particularly memorable case involved a man who went missing and was presumed dead after the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. Nearly two decades later, he was found alive but with no memories of his past life. The immense emotional trauma from the tsunami had caused him to develop Dissociative Amnesia. It was a heartbreaking story.
Such heartbreaking stories have inspired this poem. It tells the tale of a woman suffering from amnesia, traveling on a train. Aimless and confused, she chooses to focus on her present situation and surroundings.
"Amnesia"
Wisps of smoke curl lazily from the tip of her cigarette
mingling with the musty air in the coach.
The seat beneath her has seen better days,
while the window obscured by grime and neglect
offers a view through which the passing landscape
appears as if painted in muted hues of sepia.
The train rattles on
through fields that weathered farmers tend.
Children,
their laughter echoing faintly through the carriage
trudge homeward from school
without a care in the world.
In the fog of forgetfulness
she finds herself lost in contemplation,
wondering if they too
harbor desires and dreams beyond this existence.
Where is she headed?
What awaits her at the journey's end?
With each inhale she seeks comfort in the enveloping haze.
Is she fleeing from a life left behind
seeking refuge in the anonymity of the open road?
Is she propelled forward by the promise
of new beginnings,
eager to carve out a path of her own choosing?
Now, the specifics are irrelevant.
In the gentle sway of the carriage
she surrenders herself to the rhythmic
cadence of the train
and finds comfort in the steady march
towards the unknown.
What do you think of this poetry art? Please feel free to share your views in the comments below. Thank you 🙏
That's it for now. If you read this far, thank you. I appreciate it so much! Kindly give me a follow if you like my content. I mostly write about making art, life musing, and our mundane yet charming family life here in Klang Valley, Malaysia.
Note: All images used belong to me unless stated otherwise.