The Beach at Trouville

Because I am an overachiever, I decided to extend my Ekphrastic poems into the month of May. I have never attempted to translate the emotion from paintings, drawings, sculptures, or other visual works of art into words. The challenge will require me to dig deep to tap into the passions such works of art create inside a person. Most of what I write will be speculative. There will be times when I will place myself into the mind of the artist. Still other times, I will express the emotions I experience gazing at the work of art. If I get creative, I might even tell the story from an element within the artwork. This Ekphrastic poem is based on a painting by Claude Monet entitled The Beach at Trouville.  

The Beach at Trouville

Two women sunning on a beach,

One on just married,

The other wearing widow’s weave,

Both out of reach.

A passion long ago buried,

Beneath the sands of time,

Occupy the mind of the dowager.

While the bride is still in her prime.

The widow knows the danger,

Because idle hands are the Devil’s workshop,

The newly wed doesn’t care.

The woman in black’s hands never stop,

While the woman in white throws a vacant stare,

Onto the sand and the water, and the crowded beach.

I know she’s thinking about me,

And how our love will last for an eternity.

Who is Molly Shea?

Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh.  To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.

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