Recently I read that David Shumate is considered to be one of the most talented contemporary writers of prose poetry. One of his prose poems, “Drawing Jesus,” is included in The Best American Poetry 2007 edited by Heather McHugh. In the contributors’ notes at the back of that volume, Mr. Shumate tells us that the idea for the poem came to him while driving one night through Kansas, and that he became determined to “make something out of” that idea. I infer from Mr. Shumate’s remarks that the drawings described in the poem are completely made up. Can this kind of poem be called ekphrastic? The long tradition of ekphrasis says yes. Throughout history, many poems about imaginary works of art have been written. They are called “notional” ekphrastic poems. Can an imaginary work of art be more compelling than a real work of art? Read the poem to find out. As Mr. Shumate proves, a prose poem about an imaginary work of art can be “best.”(NOTE FROM BLOGGER: So as not to leave a false impression with my readers, I mention here that I am an atheist.)
