Vermeer's Maiden

Girl with a Pearl Earring
To Vermeer
By Tatiana Pahlen

The glow of the solo pearl,
Once lost in rays of beaming light,
Transpired in the sparkle of the eyes
Bursting through the bewitching frame,
Aiming at me those lonesome mirrors.

I'm drawn to their lucent charm
they stare calmly with a prudent drive;
leaning forward and disarmed
I study the face of the Flemish maiden,
capturing viewers from the wall.

I cast a smile at this solemn soul,
She smiled back, then leaped off the frame
To give me her second abandoned pearl,
She let go for the sake of a curl
Fixed on the side of her covered ear.

With chills up my spine I clasped the pearl,
still warm, which made me feel dazed.
Looking back at Vermeer's canvas,
I caught the artist's withdrawn gaze,
hidden in the eyes of his far-fetched girl.