Like a ship’s maidenhead
reimagined
for a machine on wheels,
she is poised
for action,
knees bent like those
of a diver,
gracefully streamlined
in art nouveau design.
She is, seemingly,
a type of female Mercury,
a goddess of speed,
wings tilted upwards
as well as her chin,
holding forth a
wheel
as though the wind
will turn it.
Though frozen
and still
in sculpted metal,
she is full
of motion.
© Susan Joy Clark 2021
This poem was written for a dVerse Poetics challenge, where we were challenged to choose one of 12 minimalistic photos by Glenn A. Buttkus for poetic inspiration. Glenn is a poet who contributes to dVerse challenge and also has a site for his minimalistic photography.