PURELY EDUCATIONAL

PURELY EDUCATIONAL

The expert talked at tremendous length
About history,
About sculpture,
About ecstatic revelation
Through painting
And surprisingly, about knitting.
Or, maybe, it could have been weaving.
She’d lost consciousness for a moment there,
Lulled into sleep by his steady voice.

Of course! Weaving!
Well, whatever it was,
That scrap of gold cloth
Was ancient and beautiful
And should be languishing in a museum.
Exactly where it was now.

Without pausing for the expert
To catch his breath,
The little group found they had moved on
Into the room full of Roman heads.
Meeting all sort of ears and mouths.
‘And this!’ the expert gently intoned.
A finger hesitating over a perfect marble nose,
Then sliding down the air.

Not touching the lovely curving lips
That disturbed the smooth and shining face.
‘With, look!’ the expert breathed,
‘Look at this tiny indentation of the chin.
This,’ he went on, ‘is why I love them.
‘Love them,’ he repeated huskily.
For these heads are the most beautiful
That have ever been.’

She woke up then.
He loved them? He did!
She could see the tears in his eyes,
Feel his passion for that unsmiling marble face
She was hungrily gazing at,
As it caught her in its eyes.

In the end, it was love at first sight.
Ignoring the yelp of the expert
She cradled that cool face between her warm hands,
Leaned in for a kiss
From those curving, sensuous, waiting lips,
That she swore, kissed her back.

They had to make her let it go.

 ©  2024 Gwen Grant