The Annunciation
purportedly by the Master of the
Judgment of Paris, c. 1430/1440
The angel’s colored feathers complement
the clothing of the virgin he addresses
as God the Father and the Spirit blesses
one favored with conception heaven-sent.
Her left hand holds a book upon her lap;
her right arm bends so fingers rest upon
her heart; exactly what is being done
is something she endeavors to unwrap.
She sits inside a loggia not far
from where there stands a well-appointed bed;
she is to lie on simple straw instead
when Jesus Christ is born beneath a star.
The lilies brought to her at home suggest
she will accept God’s will and do her best.
Jane Blanchard of Augusta, Georgia, has recent work in Eye Contact, inScribe, and Silkworm. Her latest collection is Furthermore.
Amethyst Review 