The Daughters of E.D.B. by Gina Moriarty

The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit, by John Singer Sargent (USA) 1882

The Daughters of E.D.B.
 
Julia, aged four in the portraiture, holds peace-
fully in her hands a china doll with pink cheeks
Mary Louisa – Isa, like their late mother, stands
forward, hands mischievously bold, tucked behind 
as eight year olds seem, brazen, alabaster, bright 
red beneath her pinafore, bright white pouting out 
above bony knees  Florence leans against a vase 
that stands above her head, the counterpart half 
unseen behind the shy partition, an afterthought
though the pair more defined than the sisters, less 
so than the authentic porcelain - Emotional space 
leaves room, gaps that fourteen sees, but delicate 
china holds under the weight  - Jane stares straight  
as though perceptive at twelve, but statuesque, 
mirroring the mantel piece, rivaling the disjointed
light bright white between two blurred blue urns. 

Gina Moriarty

Gina Moriarty is an emerging writer working on her MFA from Chatham University in Pittsburgh. She writes about coincidence and how there isn’t such a thing. She has a spiritual connection with Hemingway and a knack for disappearing down research wormholes. Her poetry and creative non-fiction pieces have appeared in Brief Wilderness, The Classical Poets Society, The Inkwell, The CalTimes and The McKeesport Regional History and Heritage Center Quarterly.