Two portraits of young ladies decorate my bedroom wall
in stepwise fashion - the artist’s signature not too small:
“Strevens” - distinguished for depictions of stylish women.
His Two Friends and Le Recontre, are praised with good reason.

The artist portrayed many young ladies in flowered hats,
likely mistresses of uncelebrated aristocrats.
The vignettes on my wall are undoubtedly the exception;
these two, pert and bonny, impart fragrant-jasmine perfection

Miss Northwest, looking askance out of the frame to her right,
flowered hat shading tawny eyes, appealing, young and bright.
Dark flowers contrasting bright, her tresses softly echoing;
emerald gloves, worn with aplomb, reflect in visage glowing.

High collared blouse exhibiting upright stripes both broad and black,
billowy sleeves, and lace bib topped with green bow-tie pulled back.
Exuding youth and beauty and, yes, supple loveliness too;
distressingly fanciful, inaccessible and untrue.

Miss Southeast sports a saucy flowery rose-and-daisy hat;
her blue eyes glance left, over her shoulder - just about to chat?
Open blouse with gossamer scarf ’round a lovely slender throat;
green-gloved hand holds what - a delicate bon-bon with sugar coat?

Even slighter than Mona Lisa are the shadows of their smiles;
thus they confer mystic serenity that in a way beguiles.
Skin of such flawlessness as seen only in the master’s art,
or glowing memory of betrothed in absent lover’s heart.

The frames are unpretentious, sheathed in gilt finish,
for frills can only beautiful images diminish.
These ladies, lovely consorts for more than fifty years,
have graced my bedrooms over several careers.

Yet no living person in my life need ever feel lovelorn;
the prints are simply forms of fantasy that a wall adorn.


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