Oscar

(Reflections on the statue of Oscar Wilde
in a Dublin park)

by

Lois Francis

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I saw you
lolling on the rock
in sartorial splendor
red collar and cuffs
on your blue velvet coat
propped up on one indolent elbow
to survey the urban scene,
half smile, sardonic and witty,
ensconced at ease
in the park just opposite
your home at Number One
'the very best address'
on Merrion Square.

And I wondered
would you delight in
this sculpted tribute,
surrounded as it is
by your famous words
carved into stone fencing?
Would you relish the humor of the artist
who posed you there
to smile forever
with mocking tolerance

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