Eric Blanchard
Blue Reflection
Do not put Picasso in a love poem.
His image might distort perception
and lead to periods of blue reflection
instead of pretending everything is rosy.
Do not let Picasso leave your poem
analyzed, broken up, and reassembled,
which could have your readers
scratching their heads, thinking,
"I don't get it." Do not put Picasso
in a poem you write about harmony.
He might question your understanding
of well-known truths. Do not put
Picasso in a poem in which you already
think you know the ending.
Bio
Eric Blanchard is a lawyer, an educator, and a daydreamer. He's a child of the past and a charter member of Generation X. His poems have been published in numerous collections, both online and in tangible form. In 2013, the online journal Literary Orphans nominated his prose poem, "The Meeting Ran Long," for Sundress Publications' Best of the Net anthology. Eric has published two chapbooks: The Good Parts (Finishing Line Press, January 2020) and Beware of Poet (Fort Worth Poetry Society Press, June 2022), which was the winner of the 2022 William D. Barney Memorial Chapbook Contest.