The Green Fairy & Your Poetry (Yes, We're Talking Absinthe)

Hey, everybody! Absinthe GIFs on us today!

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Prepare to hypothetically be this guy. Because absinthe.

Today, we'll be turning a green drank into heaps of inspiration. How, you might ask? Through excessive GIFery as well as some good ole fashioned creativity. I came to this idea while idly flipping through NPR's website on a Friday night. (Side note: no shame.) Here's the article if you're interested.  I was, clearly.

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In case you missed it...this is absinthe. 

So, absinthe is green. You've heard it called "the green fairy", and I'm sure you've heard all about its hallucinogenic properties. Historically, absinthe has been the drink of aesthetes –– artists, writers, etc. According to NPR, it was also the drink of soldiers and pretty much everyone in France. That aside, the romanticized version of absinthe is pretty cool. So let's go with the whole aesthete vibe.

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Let's try not to look like this poor soul today. Thanks, Degas for killing our vibe.
(JK this painting is awesome and I dig it)

Degas not doing it for you? Let's look at Henri-Toulouse Lautrec's painting of Vincent Van Gogh drinking a glass of absinthe, as was his habit. Every freaking day. We get that the whole ear thing stemmed from a whole lot of other things, but...well, when you chug a whole bunch of hallucinogenic alcohol daily, that can't really help things.

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Lautrec's sketch of Van Gogh = worlds colliding. OH, and there's absinthe.

Absinthe is the subject of art. It's the drink of aesthetes. And of normal people. Let's make it the subject of poetry today –– here's the best inspiration I can offer you short of a glass of absinthe.

LE LOUCHE

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Magic. 

What is le louche? It's what happens when you pour cold water into absinthe. It turns this beautiful, mysterious translucent color, and releases the essential oils in the alcohol. And today you're going to write a poem with the title "le louche".

That's it. It's that simple. Here's another example of le louche in case you were looking for some more inspiration:

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Pretttttttty.

So, go ahead. That's all I have for you today. Sip on a tall, cool, metaphorical glass of absinthe and write a poem about transformation.