3 July 2017

The overall whole
of the scene adhered as one.
Most would comment, ‘Beautiful,’
and pass on.
But I paused to look
at the particulars
that made the scene possible.
A pair of rowers, foreground,
crossed the scene, a man, and a woman.
Her cascade of gold hair
called to mind Sharon,
off which gold my eyes rose
to the ridge crowded emerald with trees,
a cooling green against the hot
opalescent sky, across which coasted,
wings spread, a hawk,
a piece of jet to complement
all the emerald.  Cobalt lay
the river throwing brilliant the gold hair.
The scene dimmed when the rowers
rowed out of view.  And as if to pin
the scene to earth, an egret
landed, and stood stalk-still.
These, then, were
the particulars that made up the whole
of the scene of the beautiful,
that was meant,
but not to last.

Philip Kuepper
(19 June 2017)