~an ekphrastic~

Elegant columns reach toward sky,

Tower over a translucent basin shining

In sunlight interlacing with cool blue.

Laughing, a lady in white approaches

On garden paths leading to the pool.

Closer and closer to the edge she gets,

Longing to peer into rippling water.

She perches on a moss-covered rock

Unable yet to see her reflection, leans

Forward until she freezes, balancing

There, to focus on the mirror and

Try forever to find herself in azure.

Outstanding Bay Area artist, David D. Hunt, painted a watercolor called “Naiad’s Reflection” which inspired this poem.