(From San Diego Museum of Art)
Keith and I purchased this print from the San Diego Museum of Art back in our honeymoon days (we're celebrating our silver anniversary this June)--it's long been my favorite piece in the SDMA's permanent collection. SDMA posted a TwitPic image of "The Young Shepherdess" by Bourguereau today, and I just had to write about it today as part of National Poetry Writing Month--NaPoWriMo.
The Young Shepherdess
Her calloused feet
pad silently
down the dirt paths
daily, hourly--
her way worn to softness
beneath bare heels,
care for the sheep
bowing her young shoulders.
Beneath curling wisps
of wind-tossed hair,
a hint of disdain
in the set of her mouth
tells the tale
of a mind wandering,
dreaming of different days
far from hill-strewn fields.
The sheep know her voice--
dim eyes rolling,
they stumble toward her call,
knowing safety under her
wary gaze and guarding crook.
Her pensive brown eyes
whisper secrets warm
as her soft voice
carries the call
among the autumn-browning hills
she has always known.
Copyright 2010 by Susanne Barrett
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