spiraled snow white curves
rise statuesque from damp leaves
the calla lily
grows with grace, a work of art
long before O'Keeffe arrived
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Author Notes
a tanka is a poem in the tradition of the haiku, but with five lines of 5/7/5/7/7 syllables.
The calla lily, painted so beautifully here by Mino Yasue,
has been a favorite subject of artists and photographers since it was introduced to the U.S. in the mid 19th Century. It is native to South Africa. Georgia O'Keefe painted it so often that in 2003 an entire art exhibit was devoted to her paintings of this stunning flower. Imogen Cunningham, Charles Demuth, Marsden Hartley, Man Ray, Joseph Stella, Edward Weston and Diego Rivera are among the many other famous painters and photographers who have been attracted to this floral beauty. Of course, had no painter ever captured it on canvas, the calla lily would still be a work of art.
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