Market Stall
[Frans Snyders, oil on canvas 1614]
A young stag suspended by both hocks,
dead tongue lolling, brick-red,
from the corner of its mouth.
A pair of rabbits slung across the board.
A pheasant and a string of songbirds,
silent. Even the white swan, its long neck
graceful and its wing unfurled,
is not immune from Saturday display.
A cauliflower. A wicker basket
overflowing grapes and apples
that will never ripen to a fuller
red. A squash and two melons
plucked from their vines.
How many heavenly
mouthfuls, thinks the poor man
who feasts on porridge. But
for such a man with famished pockets,
our Flemish master didn’t paint
this scene.
Copyright © Taylor Graham | Year Posted 2005
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