I stood in front of it for an age
as other visitors came and went,
and came and went
in steady impassioned procession.
Disinterested in their murmured praise,
their whispered accolades and nods,
I stood alone and breathed in the beauty
of the perfect detail in a perfect face
committing it to memory;
imprinting it behind my eyes.
In all the galleries in so many cities
I had never been so moved as by
this one simple little portrait of a simple girl.
And it was only as I walked away
I realised my cheeks were wet with tears.
Comments
threeleafshamrock | July 28, 2009 - 16:44
Paints a lovely picture - no pun intended. Very personal, simple and enjoyable.
Chris ;)
girlbear | July 28, 2009 - 21:38
I like this. The tone changed for me in the last stanza, creating a tragic element, which is beautiful.
Ewan | July 29, 2009 - 11:06
You might need a comma after 'praise' in line five as you have a list: a,b and c.
Very nice.
sunshine | July 29, 2009 - 17:56
Thanks gbear & Chris - the painting in question is not a favourite of mine, but my reaction to seeing it in the flesh completely floored me completely. Think it had something to do with looking into her eyes and holding her gaze as it were. Margot
sunshine | July 29, 2009 - 17:57
Oooops, many thanks Ewan. Hadn't spotted that one. Margot