A Different Perspective, the Happiness of Hylas

by Jeannie E. Roberts

—after Hylas and the Nymphs, a painting by John William Waterhouse (1896)*


As if sculpted from gypsum or talc
you 
the specimens of physique

 gather as seven 
unite as one

the goddesses who govern over pure water 
emerge amid aquatic herbs 
surface between bundles of green

where auburn hair flows 
holds the flowers of Nymphaeaceae.

Before you 
virility kneels 
fetches the quench for Argo’s crew

exalts 
and enlivens your view.

Immersed in the clarity of freedom 
black hair flows 
where eight specimens of physique

unite as one 
glide across a wellspring of grace

 gladden within the mystique 
of a naiad pond. 
Lily pads glow in the romance of mythos.

* * * * *

*Here is a link to Wikipedia's "Hylas and the Nymphs:" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hylas_and_the_Nymphs_(painting)

Jeannie E. Roberts lives in Wisconsin, where she writes, draws and paints, and often photographs her natural surroundings. She's authored five poetry collections and two illustrated children's books. Her newest collection, As If Labyrinth - Pandemic Inspired Poems, was released in April 2021 from Kelsay Books. She’s a teacher, an editor of an online literary magazine, and is listed in Poets & Writers. She’s an animal lover, a nature enthusiast, and an equal rights advocate.