A Fisher Girl, 1914

a poem inspired by a photo taken in 1914 by Nancy Ford Cones

A Fisher Girl,

The rough rocks wear on her soles,

Her basket waiting patiently at her feet, knowing

It will soon be fed the day's first course.

She balances her fishing rod over one shoulder,

And with the other hand draws up her loose skirt;

It ripples around her thighs, protecting

The hem from the water's edge.

A man on a boat passes by, but she does not notice

His image captured for a moment in the still waters,

Hers captured forever in a blurred and softend photograph,

Her simple face, concentrated

And smudged with dirt.

 

I imagine telling her she is beautiful

She smiles and shakes her hand in protest,

And I wonder if she'd find it amusing

That the simplicity of her everyday

Would one day be hung on walls, in studios, and bound

In books between images of Hepburn and Garbo.

Reviews

[mysticgmekeepr]

Could any of us ever imagine our simple acts of daily living being etched forever in time for all the world to see? I absolutely cannot imagine one of the pictures of me fishing in our pond with my husband and Grand daughters, hung on walls and bound in books. Great thought. Gosh I'm glad we don't wear skirts while fishing anymore.:-)