Like a painting by Velazquez <br />A woman stands <br />Alone in the frame <br />Touched by the brush of light <br />Blossoming. <br /> <br />How did <br />Flesh Tint reflect Naples Yellow <br />In this greenish blue room? <br /> <br />What made the sun <br />Suddenly rise on the palette? <br /> <br />That beggarwoman on Tulsi Pipe Road <br />That streetwalker in Chicago <br />What immortal light has washed them <br />To make her stand here <br />Naked <br />In mysterious clarity? <br /> <br />Venice, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome <br />Florence, Castile, Nice, <br />Pune, Satara, Valsad, Palanpur, Jaisalmer, <br />Thrissur, Kottayam, <br />Hissar, Ludhiana, Muzaffarpur, Bhuvaneshwar, <br />Ujjain, Jhansi, East Godavari, Karwar, <br />Vengurla, Alibag, <br />All geography is as colourless as linseed oil <br />Pigments come from the sky <br />Like a naked woman from over the Western Ghats <br />Luminous. <br /> <br />[Translated from Shesha: Selected Marathi Poems ]<br /><br />Dilip Chitre<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/flesh-tint/
