A Woman of Substance

She lies on the bed, a broken canvas.

Fragments and splinters of an old frame,

Faded colors of painted priceless picture,

Greys and white, crooked dark veins, wrinkled paper skin. 

Frames abound on the wall's fortress,

A beauty to behold, ablaze with youth fire;

Larger than life passionate self-portraits,

One can only stand, stare and admire.

Brightly shining sapphire sea blue eyes,

Small pointed nose, gentle and sweet;

Strawberry melting soft sweet red lips,

Cascading down golden curls on ivory skin;

Swan long flawless neck, waist you could hold in a hand.

Strong, slender curvaceous body, fit for any outfit,

Flamboyant costumes, hair styles so chic,

Dynamic and coy, bold and brave all well portrayed. 

Gazes across and beyond all from the wall,

Ravishing alluring smile for onlookers and all;

Balanced flawless, eight body postured, danseuse,

Dazzling, daring goddess, even deities would pursue.    

Unequaled beauty everyone's craze,

Lies old and feeble on the bed;

Old she is with wrinkled skin,

Grey white hair, feeble bones so thin. 

The man on the door stands with a note.

Stares in awe, what should he compose?

The famous ballerina, a living legend,

Wasted away lies on the bed. Broken!

The body on the bed moves with elegance and poise.

Looks at him, smiles and he gasps:

Sparkling, smiling bright blue eyes,

He stands there, bewitched and sighs. 

Ah, the eyes!

Age has left her body a barren land.

Twinkling beautiful eyes, speak of no regrets,

An ocean of passion, pride and content remain,

A woman of substance, ages with grace.                                                         

Tasneem Hossain is a multilingual poet, columnist, op ed columnist and training consultant. She is the director of Continuing Education Centre, Bangladesh.