A Corner of the Artist's Room in Paris (with Open Window) by Byron Beynon

...after the painting by Gwen John

She is isolated

within her room,

its open window

an eye onto the mysterious sky.

She is there watching

with us,

new-lighted,

as we see a coat

discarded on a chair

delicate as lace.

Her shy table

up against the wall

keeps company

with an anonymous book,

its leaves exposed

to the subtle strokes of mood and air.

A determined silence waits.

Byron Beynon lives in Wales. Recent collections include The Sundial (Flutter Press) and The Echoing Coastline (Agenda Editions)