Weir Farms volunteer Bonnie Tremante wrote a number of poems based on the artworks of Julian Alden Weir. The poems were part of a project Tremante was working on while earning her Certificate of Advanced Studies in Humanities and Writing from Wesleyan University.
Tremante was kind enough to send "Elegy for the Palace Car" to TheDailyWilton. The poem is printed below and is based on "The Palace Car" by Weir, which is shown above.
Elegy for the Palace Car By Bonnie Tremante I gaze down on that Palace Car, So named by Mister Remy, Two oxen hauled it fields afar, But now it sits quite empty. The tenant farmer dubbed her thus, A regal appellation, No rustic peasant cart or bus, This winterized contraption. For once it skimmed across the field, Her iceboat runners gliding, And safe from winter it would shield The artist out joyriding. Inside an oil stove kept him warm, For hours of comfort travel, In search of subjects on his farm, With palette he would dabble. Through four, wide windows he could peer, And try to capture simply, A frozen landscape so austere, The only color pine tree. Like most Impressionists he'd try To represent the wonder, Of subtle tints in lace veiled sky Or snow drifts' ghostly timbre. But after years of stone boat tow, Around the grounds by oxen, Devotion waned with melted snow And treks occurred less often. The Palace Car was laid to rest- Retired transportation, Abandoned as the painter's nest And left for demolition. An elegy by every norm, Should be morose and woeful, But from the wreckage would take form Three little girls' new castle.
Click here to follow Daily Voice and receive free news updates.
