A Lady in Waiting, by Mary Kipps

The Trysting Place, by Winslow Homer (USA) 1892

A Lady in Waiting
 
I can see by your expression that he is late.
How much longer, you’re wondering,
should you abide by the trunk of this tree.
You have dressed so carefully. It is a striking
outfit, pearl taffeta with ash-flowered trim,
the fitted jacket adorned at the cuffs
with three-inch-wide lace, the skirt’s top tier
pulled back in a small bustle to showcase
the shape of your hips. Your red-gold tresses
have been coiled into a French twist,
errant strands curbed by a black velvet ribbon,
tied in a comely bow at the crown of your head.
You have brought your folding silk fan,
the amber one with its daring crimson collar.
Did you intend to use it in coy flirtation 
or was it merely to waft the heat from your face
as it is surely doing now on this breathless
mid-summer afternoon? Should I tell you
that you are destined to wait like this forever?
 
Mary Kipps
 
Mary Kipps has appeared regularly in poetry journals and anthologies across the U.S. and abroad since 2005. She is also the author of three Kindle eBooks of paranormal satire: All in Vein, A Sucker for Heels, and Bitten: A Practical Guide to Dating a Vampire.