Three Steve McCurry photographs were the subject of Scott Owens’s poem at the March 19, 2016 Art of Poetry event at Hickory Museum of Art. The photo, courtesy of Roger and Ginny Sanford, captures the writer and the works that inspired him.
Scott Owens
THREE FIGURES COMING OR GOING
after “Shaolin Monastery: Playfulness among Monks”,
“Geisha in the Subway” and “Man Walks inside the Fushimi Inari Shrine”
by Steve McCurry
On the stairs
coming up the stairs
in a world of black and white
a flower of a woman
red kimono
yellow and green sash
pink blossoms in hair
rising to be
born into light.
In a tunnel of orange
curving into the unknown
a man done
in black
in modesty
going to pray
or pay homage
to feel even smaller
never small enough.
And this one
like all of us
only sooner
having realized
the lightness
of joy in life
flies
on nothing but air.
Art of Poetry at the Hickory Museum of Art 
I really like this- lightness, life and air intertwined – and that great ending!
Doug
Wish I could see the photos. Your poem makes me WANT to see them! Best spring wishes to you and your family.
Hi Ann,
If you click on the photo and enlarge it, you can see the artworks. There will be individual poems through the next few months on two of the three works by other poets. Due to strict guidelines, we were unable to post individual photos of the McCurry works. Thank you for following Art of Poetry! – AOP