The Universe by Neil Ellman

Swoon Bildos’s latest videopoem credits

McDonsco, Double Jack Black, Citizen Exeptional for their images.

Respect for the people of Sandy River Lolo Pass, St. George and all the other places that get flooded these times.

The reading by Nic S. was produced for Whale Sound, and the poem may be read at its original site of online publication, Bolts of Silk. According to the bio at Whale Sound,

Neil Ellman is a retired educator living and writing in New Jersey. His poetry appears in numerous national and international print and online journals, in addition to four ekphrastic chapbooks.

Swoon blogged (in Dutch) about the making of this video here. Originally, he said, he thought of using imagery of the northern lights over snow and ice, but slowly shifted to the idea of a storm moving through trees. I’m pleased he went with his second thought and not the first, which would’ve been much too obvious a match with the poem, I think. It takes a lot of guts to try to envideo a poem called “The Universe.” I thought the closing image was especially effective.

2 Comments

  1. Reply
    Swoon 19 August, 2011

    Thanks for posting Dave.
    A sad coincidence, this storm, with the storm that raged over ‘our’ Pukkelpop-Festival yesterday.
    A few stages an a tents collapsed under a heavy thunderstorm. 5 didn’t survive, many wounded.

    Sad day for music.
    My thoughts go out to the victims and their families.

  2. Reply
    Dave Bonta 19 August, 2011

    Wow, I’m sorry to hear that! Five people were just killed at an outdoor concert in the American Midwest, too, by a strong wind that toppled the amplifier towers.

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