she sits inhaling the summer day
her lemon dress dappled in light
the children's laughter are light as clouds
while another woman's voice is playful sing-song
this scene looks like a perfect vacation scene
but it is not
her hands are knotted in prayer
a mother's prayer
her head filled with the pain & turmoil of her son's life
his pain is her pain
she prays for the stillness of doves
and fullness of lion's courage to do what is
right and just
she sinks into the white and green space
this garden is a healing salve
peering over the vase of aster blooms
she feels a deep peace settling
on her lap
soft as a yellow butterfly
Le Pho (1907-2001), Women and Children in the Garden (c. 1970), oil on canvas
Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - Le Pho, hosted by Melissa Lemay. Thank you for the visits and comments.
Love how you went beneath the surface and told her story... I still want to know more what has befallen her son.
ReplyDeleteMe too.
DeleteAn aching mystery we'll never resolve. Grace, you'll have to write a follow-up poem!
DeleteThank you all for your comments. Yes, there is backstory with this painting.
DeleteYou captured the colour and light in the image so beautifully, Grace, the sounds of children’s laughter and the woman’s sing-song voice bring it all to life, and the shift in tone and atmosphere made me gasp. Such a sad situation, conveyed so delicately. I love the image of the ‘deep peace settling on her lap soft as a yellow butterfly’.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully soft verse
ReplyDeleteI like how she sits “inhaling the summer day”; I like how you’ve given the artwork a story of its own, and how you’ve broken it down into section-like stanzas. The first takes a turn and I hold my breath. By the end you bring us back to hope with that butterfly.
ReplyDeleteI did find a sense of sorrow when looking at this picture. I like how you encompassed that but also gave it hope.
ReplyDeleteYou have found an amazing story inside the artwork. I love how you noticed her hands knotted in prayer. Truedessa
ReplyDelete