Magpie Tales is a wonderful blog that features a weekly picture prompt from one talented poet, Tess Kincaid. Those who choose to participate are welcome to respond in poetry or prose to the art selected. As it happens, most people submit a poem, which suits me fine! Here's my take on this one...
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| A Dinner Table at Night 1884 - John Singer Sargent |
La Plainte de la Grande Dame
©2012 Susan Noyes Anderson
We always dressed for
dinner then,
lithe hostesses of peerless men
whose dreams were
second to their pride.
So much to lose;
still more to hide.
Our repartee was
quite adroit,
and we were easy to
exploit,
well-groomed for lives of
grace and ease
by mothers who knew
how to please.
Like sparrows
feathering a nest,
we preened our way
through every test--
glittered in gowns of
ennui--
your last line says much...there are some nice tongue in cheek lines in this as well...groomed by mothers who knew how to please...smiles.
ReplyDeleteYou took that enigmatic expression and ran with it. Well done.
ReplyDeleteOooooh, Sue... very dark. Really liked this one. You always amaze me with your versatility.
ReplyDeleteOh, I really liked this one!!!!
ReplyDeletefancier than we were free...that's the key here.
ReplyDeletethis was very nice.
Oh! Your rhyme scheme works SO well for you here, Sue. Just brilliant. I especially love:
ReplyDelete"So much to lose; still more to hide."
And that last line...fancier than free, indeed.
Just fantastic.
I like a lot, a poem interesting.
ReplyDeleteYou did a great task with the picture ... loved reading it :-)
ReplyDeleteWomen's lives back then were so staid, organised and with very few women's rights at all.
ReplyDeleteVery atmospheric and, tells its truth in such a gentle way as befits that age.
Lovely
What you had to say was true - and quite holding...
ReplyDeleteWell captured.
ReplyDeleteyour poems are wonderful!..you have a writing talent...for at least the past 30 years!! hope you are keeping some kind of collection!
ReplyDeleteSo reminiscent of being a young woman. I would say of a time long past, but I believe that women still raise their daughters this way, at least, my mother did. But, according to my children, I am getting "quite old," so maybe it is a time long past.
ReplyDeleteLiked the rhyming.... and the (somewhat nostalgic) sense of remembering...
ReplyDeleteyeah, fancier than we were free... describes such an existence well.
ReplyDeleteI really like this poem, it flows well, great choice of words, and best of all, rhyme that sounds uncontrived. well done!
Lovely rhyme pattern here...and the last line really wraps it up nicely...
ReplyDeleteI always wonder what some of the women might have accomplished if given the freedom that we have. But then there is something to be said about gentility, grace, good manners, modest dress and not having to run out in the middle of the night to do a surgery case...wait, I digress...
ReplyDeleteI like the rhyming words...yes, fancier but not really free ~ Great write here ~
ReplyDeleteVery beautiful write! Women of grace, like in the historical romances I love so much!
ReplyDeleteYoung women were preened to make an appropriate male catch...loved how you summed it all up in the ending.
ReplyDeleteExcellent. This poem is reflective and mature.
ReplyDeleteWonderful! Very true and beautifully, musically, explored. k.
ReplyDeleteWhen a poem feels this good while reading aloud, it is good!!!
ReplyDeleteThe times they are a changin ", thanks , Sue
ReplyDeleteThat's the way it was, and I suspect still is for some people.
ReplyDeleteYou always do so well when it comes to interpeting a picture. It always makes me wonder just what the artist had in HIS mind when he painted a particular picture. With this one, I would say you could be right on the mark. I really loved the poem, and like Brian, I liked your last line.
ReplyDelete"fancier than we were free"...love that!
ReplyDeleteGreat rhyming,Sue! It's a never-ending story. The lady is expected to make a good catch,so it is! Nicely written!
ReplyDeleteHank
Sue, your work becomes more and more brilliant each day.
ReplyDeleteI loved this one very much.
:)
Caroline
You had me at the "La Plainte de La Grand Dame"...simply, marvelous!
ReplyDeleteThe big thing we did growing up was make sure we washed up and combed our hair before supper. I like the last line the best. We all get dressed up for certain ocassions in life and when they're over we change into our everyday comfort clothes and breathe.
ReplyDeleteNow that I am retired I live in my flop clothes and get dressed up when I leave the house. Which is usually early morning abd late afternoon. So if you were to stop by during siesta time I probably wouldn't be presentable.
I heard a phrase two weeks ago, "First impressions are so important, so take the extra five minutes in the morning to put on your jewelry!" Hee.
Love your words!~Ames
You are so good! Love it.
ReplyDeleteVery nicely done - enjoyed it thoroughly
ReplyDeleteNice portrait of the women of an era. It fits the image well. I think I enjoy more freedom, but dressing for dinner once in a while would be attractive, too.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant presentation, Sue. I really enjoyed the cadence and the historic framework. Such talent... thank you!
ReplyDelete=D