Woman with a Parasol

Sunlight blankets the verdant fields in the late afternoon,

Madame gently sheltered by her mother's green parasol,

inherited on the occasion of moving to Paris.

The wind whips through the high grasses, 

through her bustle of skirts

the scarf that brings the blue from her eyes

and that cream-colored jacket,

donned before the excursion

in tempered optimism

since it is only just becoming spring.

An afternoon of baguette and limonade,

toy elephants and playful conversation

slowly melts

into a loll about the flowered green.

Pink-faced and mild-mannered,

her little son hovers patiently,

drowsy from the emerging heat,

calmed and mildly weakened by the breeze

as it pushes threads of clouds

across the perriwinkle sky.

 

What quiet splendor from a stroll in the sun!

A simple kinship

field and friend,

as we natural things

commune.

And how uncomplexly timeless a pleasure

to be so enjoyably dressed

in such weather.
 

More heavily freckled 

under his petit chapeau,

the little one is now anxious to return home

to a cup of milk

to a nice book

to a well-deserved sleep

after a lovely daytime picnic across the river

around the fields

with warm and lovely Maman 

and 

very 

proud 

Papa.

Reviews

[Samuel Dickens]

I am ill-equiped to say the things that should be said, that deserve to be said about this. Somehow, it stirs the artist in me and makes me want to paint the woman with the parasol. This is outstanding writing, in league with the very best I've seen on this site.

[Coyote Poetry]

Poem is very good. I like the style of the poem. A very good story. Written with the care and wisdom of the old writers. I like the poem. A excellent poem.
Coyote

[Orlando Murcia]

Very nicely done

It is different from all the other stuff
I have read but, I really enjoyed this piece

Great work