The Barefoot Prodigy

I wrote this poem in my English class this year. It's an ekphrastic poem, which means I wrote it while looking at a painting. For this particular poem, I choose "The Barefoot Prodigy." I tried to capture what the young girl is feeling which playing her ce

The Barefoot Prodigy
From the painting by Martha Moore

She sits wrapped
around her cello,
music streaming
from the strings
as her pale hand moves,
grasping the wooden bow.

Her thin blonde hair
covers her eyes
and soft cheeks,
hanging loosely
over her indigo dress
that flows down
her slender body
to her knees—
pastel legs crossed,
little toes
barely touching the floor.

Mystery and fear dangle
in the atmosphere.
Dark blues mixed
with black and violet
are painted
in the air.

Her song dances
amid the colors,
each note bringing back
memories of the past.

Memories of
abandonment.
rejection.
pain.

She has eyes of silence
that keep what they know
hidden inside.
Does she
feel,
    love,
        or cry?
You can gaze deep within,
but they will never tell.

She is all alone,
her melody echoing
in the air,
desperate for someone
to love her
and take her sorrow away.

Suddenly
the music
overrules
her fear.