Faded Portrait
A FADED portrait, sadly stares
From the peeling canvas on display;
This relic for whom no-one cares,
A wilted-grey Van Gogh bouquet.
Beneath a bonnet forced and trite,
Her whitened face is wracked with age;
That rendered ribbon knotted tight,
Life's gallery now centre-stage.
Behold! The brush, once more shall glide,
Restoring Time's lost artistry;
Tho' in that frame the paint has dried,
Her soul is spilled and she is free.
© Troy Southgate
Art: A. Bauer, Dresden (1886)