Paintings and a Poem

Recently finished these two paintings. The top one is for Dylan's 16th birthday, a Happy Birthday mandala for him to put in his newly renovated bedroom. It's only 5" by 5" but it reminds me of Dylan. Cute, playful, quirky, happy.

The man in the red MG is my father-in-law, Eric. This painting is 12" by 24."

I also finished this poem in the last day or so and will submit it to a special issue of Beltway Quarterly featuring DC poems. It's a riff on the article I wrote for the Northwest Current.

Jocelyn Street, Chevy Chase, D.C.

One February, under two feet of snow,
The City’s equipment kaput,
Our cars, giant marshmallows
Trapped in an ashen sea,
Were stuck on the street for days.
Debra, patience pulled thin, decided
She would dig us out herself.

Gradually the news spread.
House
By
House
Virtually everyone drifted out to help.

I made a huge pot of lentil soup.
Others steamed hot chocolate.
We spent the entire day shoveling.

By dark, anyone who wanted
Could drive down our street.

P.E. Ortman