I cannot greet with nod of head,
so I walk erect and smile instead
at passers-by who stop and stare
at the flowered hat atop my hair.
My neck is long, the hat is tall,
I must beware in case it falls.
Tottering along the crowded lanes,
I dodge the parasols and canes;
the flamboyant blossoms on my hat
raise whispering and lots of chat
that causes me to feel quite silly,
trailed by the potent scent of lilies
ensuring that no one will forget
the woman with the flowered hat.
Kim M. Russell, 1st February 2024
Woman with Flowered Hat – Jean Dupas – WikiArt.org
It’s Open Link Night at the dVerse Poets Pub, when we can either link up a poem of our choice or write a new poem inspired by a mini-optional prompt.
Grace is hosting today with an image as inspiration for our poems. We can either write an ekphrastic poem or use the title of the image as part of our poems: Woman with flowered hat.
I just had to go with the ekphrastic poem, albeit with a touch of humour.
writing in north norfolk 
Lots of fun, Kim!
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Thank you, Sarah, and so lovely to hear from you. I hope you’re on the road to recovery and that you’ll be back at the Poets Pub very soon. xx
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LOVE THIS! Everything about it! The cadence and rhythm, the rhyming…in fact, I read it a second time and aloud! 🙂
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I made it very very real on the challenges of wearing such an absurd hat… thank you for the smile.
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Thank you for your appreciation, Björn!
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Like Grace’s another brilliant character study, Kim.
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Thank you, Lisa!
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You’re welcome!
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Love the character sketch Kim. Unforgettable woman – I would love to meet her on a crowded lane with that potent scent of lilies.
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Thank you, Grace!
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Absolutely gorgeous poem, I loved the part about walking and avoiding parasols and canes, and that you managed to convey some of the hat-wearing anxieties so well.
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Thank you so much, Oloriel! I couldn’t wear a hat like that; I’d be tripping and bumping into people, and the hat would end up in bits!
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Unforgettable for sure. I like the way you capture her navigation. (K)
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Because my own sense of balance is askew, that was the first thing that came into my head, Merril!
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“the flamboyant blossoms on my hat
raise whispering and lots of chat
that causes me to feel quite silly”
But not silly at all of course, where in this crowd of parasols and canes and flamboyance and gossip, silly is defined as a complimented achievement. Very nice!!
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Thank you, Stephen!
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Love the humour in this Kim, you’ve given life to the picture! JIM
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Thanks Jim!
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I love the humour….and enjoyed the visuals as well!
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Thank you, Sherry!
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You poke very gentle fun at this eccentric 🙂
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I was never really a fan of hats, a woolly one in winter and a straw one in summer perhaps. I have no sense of balance for anything bigger than that!
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I can’t keep a hat on my head. I wear my hair in a chignon nothing seems to fit over/around it 🙂
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Oh I love this and so nice to have a smile, very cleverly crafted Kim 😊
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Thank you, Suzanne! 😊
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Your rhyming poetry delights me this morning!!!
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Thanks Helen!
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Fantastic rhymes that really go with the motion of a jaunty walk, and a lovely interpretation of the image. I love that she can’t nod her head because of the flamboyant hat and that she leaves a potent scent of lilies trailing behind her! (I love lilies) 🙂
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Thank you so much, Nina. I can’t have lilies in the house because they are poisonous to cats. I do have some orange ones in the garden.
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Are they?! Good to know. And you’re welcome! 🌸
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I love how you portrayed her, Kim. Definitely no one will forget her! Beautifully crafted.
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Thank you, Merril!
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You’re welcome!
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A beautiful flowing fun poem, Kim. You make me think of the little old ladies that put on too much powder and too much perfume leaving a trail of mixed sweetness as they walk by! :>)
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Thank you, Dwight!
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You are welcome.
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It’s a fun poem Kim, I don’t think I shall forget this painting. The length and muscles in her neck are quite distinct.
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Thank you, Dianne.
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Kim, the delightful whimsy of this poem captures the essence of the woman with the flowered hat in a playfully elegant manner! This is a fun one! 😀
Much love,
David
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Thank you so much, David
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Love the gentle humour, love the character sketch, Kim!
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Thanks Punam!
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They hardly could! I think of the old song about the girl piling on the flowers as she resolves to put the boy behind her by dancing with everyone else. Roses, lilies, myrtle, AND iris would certainly have given her lots of distraction!
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Ooh! I don’t know that one, Priscilla.
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