Poem 136: Girl on the Dock

At the end of the L-shaped dock,

Where summer-browned children,

Yelping, jump into murky green,

A girl. Alone, book in lap, 

She sits facing shore, leaning 

On one arm, pale, flawless 

Legs curled to her left 

In a studied pose: 

"Starlet at leisure,"

Inspired, no doubt, by fantasies

Of old-Hollywood glamour 

And intrigue. Soft as a petal,

A lake-borne breeze ruffles 

And lifts the smooth, caramel 

hair from her shoulders.

She looks up, as if surprised,

From the page she has not turned 

In half an hour, then returns 

To her almost-convincing display 

Of superb focus, careful 

Not to notice the sweating, 

Brightly-suited crowd scattered,

Like pebbles, on the shore. 

We are her contrasting background, Setting off her cool, milky beauty 

To perfection. She is lovely, 

In her shorts and 

Knotted checked blouse, 

Sunglasses and sandals,

Pretending to read, 

Watching herself play--unaware 

Of how obviously--the leading role 

In the movie in her mind. 

(c) 2013, by Hannah Six

Poem 136: Girl on the Dock