Thursday, May 17, 2018

"Mother"

Edward Emerson Simmons "The Reflection" oil on canvas
American Impressionist Painter
Mother

She sported a Gibson roll, no trendles,
allowed a few pinches upon her cheeks,
naturally arched eyebrows raised higher
as she carefully considered herself 
through the compact mirror father had gifted,
unaware how light lingured long upon her neck,
slid up shoulder, arm, fingers, haloing her

as I, an awkward teen
thought her the epitome of grace and beauty.

I remember she quietly closed the lid,
took Father's hand, uncharacteristically giggled
and I blushed thinking them surely too old
for such dalliance and romance.

Margaret Bednar, May 17, 2018

Our very own Shay is related to the artist above and is hosting our challenge over at "Imaginary Garden with Real Toads - Fireblossom Fridays - Edward Emerson Simmons"


8 comments:

Sherry Blue Sky said...

You captured the scene so vividly, i can feel the teen's discomfort. Well done, Margaret!

Fireblossom said...

What did she think all that primping was for? ;-) Loved the details--the Gibson roll, the pinched cheeks. Though he died more than two decades before I was born, I feel certain that Edward would have loved this.

annell4 said...

Mirror, mirror, on the wall....a lovely write!

Kim M. Russell said...

Lovely choice of image, Margaret, and your poem is beautifully detailed. I love:
'...she considered herself carefully
through the compact mirror father gifted her,
unaware how light lingured upon her long neck,
slid up shoulder, arm, fingers, haloing her'
and the way the poem spins on the contrast with the awkward teen.

Jim said...

Margaret, I think you roused thee memories of most all of your readers, memories of their mom primping or playing. My dad more than twice said Mom was "a siren" before I ever knew, about the time they met. They married in the early thirties. I remember the time she lost patience with me and chased me outside the house with a broom. She was laughing all the way, so was I.
..

Brendan said...

Simple and sweet, yes, but knowing -- such application of warpaint could only be described as one who too learned its history (that "Gibson roll!") and technique (there is grace in closing a compact "quietly). And there's a durability to the maiden in the matron who became crone, a timelessness shared between one mother and the next. Well done.

brudberg said...

I love the details of this, and how you made it an image of yours.. fascinating how much the painting with the small mirror could be a smartphone today.

Maude Lynn said...

I love the description of the light. Really lovely work, Margaret.