The Old Chair (Ekphrasis)

What secrets do you know?
Through the years, souls you have borne,
the young couple soon to be wed,
upon your lap, joyful children after a day of hide and seek,
a mourning widow who lost the love of her life.
Comfort and consolation that has worn you down.

Cane slats weathered by tears,
torn by the to and fro motion
of a mother rocking her child.
Banished to the meadow,
abandoned by mortals.

Once cloaked in vibrant browns
now muted, faded by loneliness.
Rays of light upon the empty seat,
do you desire rebirth,
to become more than a repository
for a crystal vase of roses.

Copyright © 2009 Sylvia All Rights Reserved

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Link to the painting by John Singer Sargent (1885):
http://www.1st-art-gallery.com/John-Singer-Sargent/The-Old-Chair.html

Ekphrasis, also spelled as ecphrasis, from the Greek word ek (out of) and phrasis (speech or expression), is a poetry form that takes its inspiration from visual art.