Small flies and other wings mangle themselves:
my windshield, my grill, my bumper
on those wet summer nights in oblivion,
the lake district, begging
the question:
whether it is the brush
or the canvas or the random headlong
rush of one against another
that makes of death — minute
as it is — a grand and heartless
splendor.
Image: Small Flies and Other Wings — Christine Ay Tjoe
Written for the d’Verse prompt: The Poet as Painter https://dversepoets.com/2021/03/23/poetics-the-poet-as-painter/
Sweet and Bitter Greens 
A wonderful poetic interpretation of this abstract ~~~~~~
Thank you so much, H.
D
Good question!
Windshield is the perfect vehicle for that title. Clever.
haha, yes. The title of the painting itself, without even seeing it leads right to it methinks.
D
Brilliant.
as a cyclist i do get a mouthfull of bugs wish i had windscreen to use as a canvas
I know the feeling well. They come at ya in slo mo and hit ya right in the adam’s apple. lol.
D
Beautiful! I love the last line.
Thank you so much!
D
And so it is. Love the ending lines:
that makes death — minute
as it is — a grand and heartless
splendor.
Thank you, Grace.
D
A wonderful poem. This is the first time I have thought of bugs on the windshield as “a grand heartless splendor!” Great question you pose!
Dwight
Me as well. I love when the poem decides its own course.
D
You’ve reminded me of one of the reasons I’m not looking forward to summer and wish spring was longer. I love the question and the internal rhyme in the lines:
‘whether it is the brush
or the canvas or the random headlong
rush of one against another
that makes of death — minute
as it is — a grand and heartless
splendor.’
Thank you, Kim. I never look forward to summer, tbh, too damned hot here. But, being Autumn born, I must suffer through it for my season of choice.
D
this poem has such impact – just as the insects hit the windscreen, etc You wove in some existential philosophy to boot with such beautiful lines. Bravo!
Thank you so much, Laura. There always seems to be more questions than answers, and even the smallest of ideas so often lead to more of them.
D
This is wonderful, love how you connected those small wings to the windshield, and the tragic beauty of death.
Thank you much. The painting is quite beautiful.
D
icky-lovely 🙂
haha – thank you!
D
“a grand and heartless splendor” – Love that!
Thank you kindly, Purple.
D