She looks like a milkmaid
in a 17th century Dutch painting
or a tourism poster
from the 20s
Summer in the Alps, perhaps,
tilting the milk jug
with her hair tied back
in a blue shawl
as she serves the
queue of businessmen
eager
for any deviation to the script,
the most casual smile
lighting hope
in that dark place
wherever it is
that men keep it.
Beautiful small portrait of true life with delicate irony and hope all in the balance Tom. I miss not reading you on here. Just as an aside I have an old Leica magazine, showing a lady such as you describe holding a camera aloft against a stunning range of mountains. Your poem reminded of that. We are of course captivated. There is something about a milk jug which is fecund with its full and flowing lines.
Ray
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Tom Harding
Thu 13th Dec 2018 19:47
Thank you both, it's nice to be back. I had a little break from writing frequently but it seems to be coming again now. Your support as usual appreciated!