A young and buxom woman, part undressed,
Still in her bra, with both her hands engaged
In loosening a snap below her chest
To free her skirt -- And all of this is staged!

The woman is a model, and her pose
Is Soyer’s gift. We see her from the side,
The blouse nearby, the shadows on her clothes,
Head turned away -- Her face to us denied!

The artist has so artfully arrayed
The model and her features in the light.
The woman, lovely -- Is she poorly paid?
The drawing, brilliant -- I would know her plight!

This print is great because the model posed to please.
And yet, the woman’s prospects give me much unease!

Copyright (2006) by Arnold Cantor.
All rights reserved.

[Written August 10, 2006. This is my second poem based on a
lithograph by Soyer. But this poem has a new feature: I employ a 2nd,
separate voice, indicated by italics, to contrast in one poem the
two different sentiments that I felt as I studied the print.]