Feature: Doug Tanoury Day 6

Study In Black & White

The Plaza de Torros
Is painted in light and shadow.
The sol seats ablaze
In a hyper-illuminated haze
That paints over color
With the washed out white
Of overexposure.

The air over the
Sombra seats is grainy,
Sprinkled with a graphite
And charcoal dust
That floats lazily and lingers
And never quite settles
On a long Mexican afternoon.

© Doug Tanoury

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Q&A

Q: How has poetry changed your life?

A: Yes, it has changed my life. I have been writing poetry all of my adult life and it has been the one constant. When I have not been anything else, I was always a poet. Before I had a career of a family I was a poet. When I have been nothing else, I was always this. It is very fundamental. I look back at some of the transitions and phases in my poetry and I am always amazed at how they capture the emotional landscape. My poetry is a detailed record of my emotional life and whenever I look back and read it I am touched as I relive key moments. I am so fortunate to have that. It is quite a gift.

Q: What advice would you give beginning poets/writers?

A: I would advise beginning poets to seek out the company of other poets. They should find a writer's colony or poetry workshop and begin writing with other poets. I think this is a critical first step that is often overlooked.