I am no blank canvas Her voice carries Over exhaled droplets Float on chill air Chiffon stiffens Over her breast Pertinent news Traded for lashes Poignant painter Strokes her curves With tip of brush Dipped and licked Tip of tongue Flicks with gossip Gleaned from models Like this one But not All the stories Laid out to honour The delicate shape Of her ear Dripping with pearl drop Lungs fill suddenly Then stop As a fine hand decorated With a spectrum of splatter Adjusts the neckline Then dabs another Skin colour Deep and divine
Portrait by Lily Allport, State Library of Tasmania