THE WOMAN IN THE BARLEY
She rises up out
of the ripe barley

one hand holding
several tassels
of grain

the other grasping
a cycle ready
to swipe

and as the barley
turns golden brown
before your eyes

gray hair turns blonde,
wrinkles vanish,
smile widens, lips
part slightly, one eye
opens and beckons

her clothes fall
off like chaff

and we see
the goddess
of grain stand
ripe in the sun.

-Norbert Krapf