A Canvas of Sky, by Alarie Tennille

Breezy Day, by Michael Driggs (USA) contemporary

A Canvas of Sky

Our coasts boast a split canvas 
of sky and sea. Here in middle America, 
the few city skylines and river bluffs point upward, 
but our eyes don’t need directions to look up 
to sky, sky, endless sky.

Night darkness reminds us we’re rotating
in a vast cosmos. By day, we feel sheltered,
independent. We were not the first to stumble 
here as we look up. Nor the first to wonder 
if roiling clouds might pull us into oblivion.

We see this sky as all ours, an infinite wealth,
though doubts grow. 

Will it be ours forever?

Alarie Tennille

​Alarie Tennille graduated from the first coed class at the University of Virginia, where she earned her B.A. in English, Phi Beta Kappa key, and black belt in Feminism. She loves appearing in The Ekphrastic Review so much that she invites local artist friends to let her submit their art with her poems.

Michael Driggs grew up and attended schools in Utah, including the illustration program of Utah State University under Glen Edwards. Painting and drawing skills remain his primary interest, study, and practice. Life and making a living interrupted (or postponed) a promising art career for several years until returning to school to receive his BFA at Washington University in Saint Louis in 1988. Michael then accepted and excelled in Illustration and Senior Design positions at Hallmark Cards for 26 years. He retired in 2014 and is enthusiastic in pursuing his lifelong desire to paint.