“In Provence” by Jeffrey James Ircink
I spied her in a poppy field,
in Provence,
down Avignon way.
Fresh as dew and penniless in thought,
mine to lose should she go astray.
Sundress tumbling along her curves,
in Provence,
as though it had been there before.
With sandals in one hand, bonnet in the other,
no painter’s canvas could I laud more.
Whose face – a dazzling, passing blush,
in Provence,
gleams a curious sincerity.
Crimson lips beguile my fervent soul,
she turns, giving nod to my duplicity.
Sun-drenched, red-tiled bastides adrift,
in Provence,
vermilion hues shade the land.
Sauntering, she caresses the flower heads;
I reach out but for a touch of her hand.
Would be the compelling troubadour,
in Provence,
who says none is more heartfelt, you see.
Construe my zeal for what you may,
for I – resigned to the cards dealt me.
Should I be met with silence,
in Provence,
I am loathe to acquiesce.
If winds portend our paths diverge,
my soul must ache, I do profess.
She sets the pace, I stay behind,
in Provence,
3
through furrows I tread.
This paragon, no ardor matched,
flitting about the poppy red.
Close to home she nears,
in Provence,
I glimpse her rosewood hair.
Up steps she climbs, I languish with envy,
my muse is not longer there.
They say these poppies have no bouquet,
in Provence,
earthy, void of what is sweet.
But the most aromatic poppy I have known,
in Provence,
down Avignon way,
lies crushed beneath my feet.
I have worked in theater and film in Milwaukee, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and Los Angeles since 1994, garnering an Outstanding Male Performance/Non-musical in 1995. My original plays have taken me to Belfast, Sydney, Los Angeles, Manhattan, Seattle, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Dayton, Bel Air, and Milwaukee. Two of my plays have been adapted to short films – BILLY BALFOOR, and PASS THE SALT, PLEASE, which has been screened in 37 film festivals around the world, including London, Sydney, NYC, Italy, Los Angeles, Chicago and Austin, garnering six awards, including a Jury Prize at the 2011 Palm Springs ShortFest. I previously produced HASHTAG MAYHEM!, an evening of original short, dark plays (Milwaukee), and STRANGE BEDFELLOWS (Milwaukee), an evening of sleep-themed short films and my short play, THE BED. My one-man shows, including A FIRESIDE CHAT WITH CHARLES DICKENS (2018) and IN POE’S HEAD (2019) were written and performed by me exclusively for the retirement community where I worked in New Berlin, WI as an activity coordinator. I have been published in The Grindstone (2022) and my first collection of poetry, "GRACE NOTES FROM A BOHEMIAN IN WANDERLUST" (Finishing Line Press) was released in Summer 2023. I make my own maple syrup with my brother, bow hunt, fish, camp, frequent renaissance faires and spell “Nature” with a capital “N”.
