An Improver

Lesbia Harford 1891 (Brighton) – 1927 (Australia)



Maisie's been holding down her head all day,
Her little red head. And her pointed chin
Rests on her neck that slips so softly in
The square-cut low-necked darling dress she made
In such a way, since it's high-waisted too,
It lets you guess how fair young breasts begin
Under the gentle pleasant folds of blue.
But on the roof at lunchtime when the sun
Shone warmly and the wind was blowing free
She lifted up her head to let me see
A little rosy mark beneath the chin—
The mark of kisses. If her mother knew
She'd be ashamed, but a girl-friend like me
Made her feel proud to show her kisses to.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

35 sec read
121

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBCDBDEFFBDFD
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 604
Words 116
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

Lesbia Harford

Lesbia Harford was an Australian poet, novelist and political activist. more…

All Lesbia Harford poems | Lesbia Harford Books

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