Alan Summers
Apple Chase
Michael, a silverback gorilla from the Rwandan lowlands had a dog named Apple, and they would play “chase.” Despite having a large range of colours from which to choose, Michael chose only black and white pigments, to match Apple’s coat.
His painting pulls me in just as much as the famous Futurist painter Giacomo Balla’s artwork, one in particular called “Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash.” That creation kept me running to keep up with the furious little dachshund! Now Michael’s Apple was a herding dog for gorillas, all playing for fun, unleashed fun.
In my mind, I’m buzzing with the workout of comparing the two pieces. I can’t even have a one shot americano.
shift in a shell
the smallest creature
of sunlight
Note: The painting Michael created, “Apple Chase,” can be seen here. Giacomo Balla’s “Dynamism of a Dog on a Leach” can be seen here.
About the Author
Alan Summers is founder of the Call of the Page website, featuring one-on-one mentoring sessions and online courses, and The Pan Haiku Review. A previous editor of the British Haiku Society’s Blithe Spirit (2018) and the Red Moon anthologies (2000–2005), he had a winning haibun in the Bournemouth Writing Festival Poetry & Flash Fiction 2024 anthology, Lines in the Sand.
Relished this, Alan. Leashed, then unleashed! The fit of each element – play, painting, fun, friend, dogs, gorilla, size, scale, that last one shot Americano line! (I know the buzzz but still get the double); and the tiniest feeling of sun, then movement. Thanks,
Donna Fleischer
Many thanks Donna for responding. This poem has been with me for many years and was mocked by a tutor as he felt only humans could be artists and communicators.
warm regard,
Alan