The Perfume of Peonies

She raises the pink peonies, cool,
damp leaves and petals a balm
to her industrious fingers. Those dual-
headed, blowsy globes grasped in her palm
exude a fruity wisp of sweetness
that makes her life much easier to bear.
No customers notice the neatness
of her blouse, the pretty headscarf that she wears
to cover the cuts and bruises of her husband’s violence.
She inhales and sighs, feels the brimming of a tear
as the gentle blooms remind her of romance,
but also foreshadow the wreath on her funeral bier.

Kim M. Russell, 9th May, 2024

Young Woman with Peonies by Frédéric Bazille, 1870

An ekphrastic poem written for dVerse Poets Pub Open Link Night, for which our host, the lovely Lillian, has given us an image by Frédéric Bazille.

Also linked to Sherry’s prompt, ‘This is no time to make things pretty’ at What’s Going On? on 21st May 2025. I’m linking up an old ekphrastic poem.

58 thoughts on “The Perfume of Peonies”

  1. Oh my, Kim. This really became a narrative poem that literally took my breath away. I highlighted these words as I thought they were so light, whimsical….”blowsy globes” and then WHAM – the story unfolds. An excellent story to the painting!

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  9. A lovely narrative poem, Kim! I especially admire this part; “Those dual-headed, blowsy globes grasped in her palm exude a fruity wisp of sweetness that makes her life much easier to bear.” 💖💖💖

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  14. You brought her to life in an entirely unexpected way, Kim, breathtaking in its stark and violent truth. I really appreciate how you also blended in the softness (petal as a balm, blooms reminiscent of romance), highlighting how complex and contradictory a life can be.

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  22. This poem leaves me with a gulp. Indeed flowers for very different occasions. Seems she has a dread of what might happen…..It must be awful to live with such fear!

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  23. Wow! The beauty and fragrance of the peony draws the reader in, then wham! The back story of the woman, wearing signs of domestic violence, has such impact. I’m glad the blooms bring her comfort. Poignant, her musing on romance gone so badly wrong, and the thought of her funeral bier.

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  24. “to cover the cuts and bruises of her husband’s violence”

    The clothes cover the evidence, and the scent and touch of flowers relieve her emotions for a minute. You set up the last line beautifully, and it doesn’t make things pretty. Not at all.

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  25. fruity wisp of sweetness
    that makes her life much easier to bear.

    sigh, such sadness in her eyes and your verse….a bit of pretty in her life even if brief…

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