When I got my new laptop, I was ready for a new wallpaper after seven years of Fra Angelico's Resurrection, Somehow, I found myself drawn to Rosetti's work after seeing a PreRaphaelite exhibit at the San Diego Museum of Art a couple of years ago. She intrigues me, and I just love having her as my wallpaper.
So when a poetry prompt suggested composing a poem on a work of art, I knew exactly where to turn. So here it is -- a rough draft, of course.
On Rosetti's La Pia de Tolomei
Folds of gossamer satin capture light,
her velvet scarf carelessly thrown aside.
Brown waves cascade down her back,
gray-green eyes focused far beyond sight.
Her hands clasped in her lap,
she twists a golden ring
around, around her finger.
Her prayer book open at her side,
rosary laid aside, letters spread beneath --
lately at prayer yet now
absorbed in troubled thoughts
in her leafy haven,
so brief a reprieve from her private prison.
Ravens circling above nearby roofs
cast darkening shadows,
unmasking clouded thoughts
as she twists her marriage band
around, around her finger.
(c) 2009 Susanne Barrett
You really did capture the picture with words. Love how you repeated "around" and "around, around her finger." Very effective.
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