Lydia E. Ringwald is a scholar, artist, photographer, poet and a featured lecturer at museum, libraries, universities and on world cruises.
She is frequently invited as a guest speaker on Royal Caribbean cruises to the Mediterranean and the Middle East on subjects in Egyptian mythology, Sphinx – Egyptomania and the Influence of Egypt on the West, Roman Emperors, Art Collections of the Vatican and other destination topics archeology, history and art history.
A Los Angeles native, she has traveled extensively throughout the world, preparing the original text and photography of archeological sites and art treasures for her publication and powerpoint lecture, ‘The Goddess from the Paleolithic to the Present’, tracing the transition of the goddess image through time.
Lydia has been a featured artist in exhibitions at the Karpeles Museum, LA Art Corp and other prominent Southern California art galleries and museums. Her recent painting and mixed media art series ‘The Texture of Time’ is a visual exploration replicating the excavation of ancient artifacts through layers of time at an archeological site.
Traveling through India in electric cars on the Climate Solutions Road Tour, Lydia’s work with students at schools, colleges and universities in India painting murals visualizing innovative energy conservation climate solutions earned recognition in the articles published in the ‘Times of India, ‘Hindustan Times’ and in an Op-Ed for ‘New York Times.’
The Heidelberger Kunstverein for an exhibition on the color ‘Blue‘, published her poem in the exhibition catalogue ‘Blau: Kaleidoscop einer Farbe’.
In her poetry chapbook, ‘Blessings in Disguise’, Lydia traces the many nuances, insinuations and hidden blessings that pin our fragile reality to the evanescent and the eternal.
There it is!
My lost earring.
Reunited again after all of these eons
I recognize it in the museum display case
A crescent in hammered gold
Inlaid with crimson carnelian cabochon
Clustered like pomegranates
Encircled by crystals
Scattered like the stars
A magical insignia
Assembled into a shimmering shape
Spinning enchantment
In the eyes of all who gazed
Into its golden vortex
The design on my earring
Was the pattern of the civilized world
An ornament
But even more, an emblem
With power to organize a civilization
I ruled the world when I wore these
Now in a museum
Glistening alone under glass
Labeled in an exhibit
With other artifacts of the civilization
That we once were
But it is stunning. Don’t you think?
Allow me to indulge in a moment of vanity
Finally to find the mate of the pair
That looked so fabulous on me
When I was wearing them eons ago.
The curator of this exhibit
Would be astounded to know
That I still have the lost original.
Commentary on ‘Lost Earring’
The feeling often overcomes me when I view objects from the ancient world. Especially fantastic pieces of jewelry, with intriguing design.
In ancient times, jewelry was not merely an ornament. Unique, dazzling designs and quality craftsmanship conspired in harmony to create a magical object; an object of beauty that would empower whomever would wear it.
But, of course, only someone with power would be granted the privilege of donning it, and only on ceremonial occasions. Such splendid emblematic talismans were the domain of priestesses and kings, pharaohs and queens.
The jewelry was emblem. The cryptic design of inlaid gems was a map of the world and whoever wore the magical object, “controlled” the world.
Whoever wore the emblem, would be endowed with power to rule.
But such magical objects represented not only power and privilege but also responsibility.
It would follow that whoever would wear them, would be responsible for preserving, creating and proliferating a civilization.
This, of course, was an overwhelming responsibility.
Perhaps that is why the persona who speaks in the poem lives in the poetic present as a commentator, no longer in the center of the political and social universe.
In contemporary perception, the jewelry artifact is an ornament only. Few today know of the magical powers that once were attributed to this object.
Over the eons, the persona discovered and explored other magical powers. The power of ideas, the power of passion, the power of humble service.
But the other earring has remained in tact over time. The mate to this stunning piece in the museum display case.
For other contributions by Lydia E. Ringwald, please follow the link below:
All poems and commentary on this post: © Lydia E. Ringwald
Published with the permission of Lydia E. Ringwald