Poem - Parsons - Fire
Fire
after Jo, La Belle Irlandaise (Johanna Hifferman) by Gustave Courbet
At first glance, Johanna Hifferman appears
to be brushing her stunning long red hair,
hair filling the frame as it forms her looming
intense face, where dazzling blue eyes blaze
into a hand held silver mirror and the other
hand toils at fiery ringlets, petite fingers pulling
gently from atop the creamy painting of brow
above the magnetic passion of those eyes,
eyes drawing the looks of the crowded queue
all gawking like the awed bystanders watching
some grand building aflame, their attention
keeps returning to the two small windows, where
humanity might emerge, showing it’s true
face, some emotion, like fear, despair, desire,
lust, emotions they might all recognize within
themselves or their outed longings, all standing
like worshippers before some magnificent
cardinaled saint, like Joan herself, burning,
flaming…inside and out…all present—blessed
with fire.
by Dave Parsons
As heard on Texas Poets Podcast, October, 2015
