Pearl Earrings - A Tribute To Her Life

• Jodhi Kanthan, Grade 10, Meriden School -
• Poetry
• 2022

Excellence Award in the 'Unleashed 2022' competition

A pale glance staring back at Vermeer,
Her silky head scarf slipping off; her biggest fear.
Locked in a gaze, her eyes were a soft, grey hue.
Her mind rushing with thoughts, hard to subdue.
Scarlet lips slightly parted with words she wanted to speak,
Her personal life story was quite tragically unique.
She bravely faced her inner demons, trying to put on a cheery facade,
Without her blonde curls, she believed her beauty was marred.

Destined to the same fate as the previous owner of the pearl,
She had bravery beyond belief, given she was just a girl.
A golden and azure halo, wrapped around her head,
A coffin would soon be her eternal bed.
Vermeer was painting her portrait as a tribute to her life,
His heart felt punctured, stabbed with a sharpened knife.
Brush strokes capturing an image of her youthful appearance,
They both knew the curtains of her life would soon draw to a close.