Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, PORTRAIT OF A LADY, by WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS



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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

PORTRAIT OF A LADY, by         Recitation by Author         Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: Your thighs are appletrees
Last Line: I said petals from an appletree.
Subject(s): Portraits; Women


Your thighs are appletrees
whose blossoms touch the sky.
Which sky? The sky
where Watteau hung a lady's
slipper. Your knees
are a southern breeze -- or
a gust of snow. Agh! what
sort if man was Fragonard?
-- as if that answered
anything. Ah, yes -- below
the knees, since the tune
drops that way, it is
one of those white summer days,
the tall grass of your ankles
flickers upon the shore --
Which shore? --
the sand clings to my lips --
Which shore?
Agh, petals maybe. How
should I know?
Which shore? Which shore?
I said petals from an appletree.




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