Inspired by Iris Tomberg
Drawing and Poem
There were too many Moonlit thoughts with Accusations of Sentimentality When windows aligned Diverting paths Dancing a voice through A flame-infested tree
Iris Tomberg Evening conte crayon on paper Smithsonian American Art Museum Transfer from the Evander Childs High School, Bronx, New York through the General Services Administration 1975.83.113
I love the artwork, but your poem is like a fever dream. I especially love the last two lines!
This poem feels like a small moment of drifting thought, almost like watching ideas move in moonlight.
I love how the “moonlit thoughts” carry both softness and a hint of self‑consciousness.
There’s something gentle in the way windows and paths seem to shift and line up for a second.
The image of a voice moving through a “flame‑infested tree” feels strange in a beautiful, dreamlike way.
It reads like someone trying to catch a feeling before it slips away.
The poem has the same quiet, hazy atmosphere that Iris Tomberg’s work often carries.
I felt that mix of calm and slight unease, like stepping into a moment that isn’t fully real.
The language moves softly, but there’s a subtle tension underneath it.
It leaves more mood than explanation, which makes it linger.
A delicate, fleeting piece that feels like a thought caught between light and shadow.