after Pat Brodowski’s painting, “Reflections of 1904”

A house of glass, swathed in sunlight,
summons us through a portico passageway,
its two-storied windows framed in white,
a palimpsest of yesterdays, the composite 
layers of at least a century plus a score, 
in a picturesque shop of curiosity and comfort.

A house of mirrors, reflecting its surroundings—
neighboring homes, gardens, orchards, 
rural roads winding along a sparkling river
the ambient glow of sunrises and sunsets—
our gaze from the wicker chair quaint and clear
in the shadows of the Blue Ridge skyline.

A house of lenses, customers captured
in the unfocused light of silent films
leaning into mirrors, smiling or smirking 
at instant makeovers with fanciful hats, 
hard history hiding behind haute couture,
our rich yet roiled Blue Ridge heritage.

Cathy Hailey teaches in Johns Hopkins University’s online MA in Teaching Writing program. She serves as Northern Region Vice President of The Poetry Society of Virginia, co-hosts Virginia Voices, and organizes In the Company of Laureates. Her chapbook, I’d Rather Be a Hyacinth, was published by Finishing Line Press.