An Artist's Model and Other Poems

"In An Artist's Model and Other Poems, " preferring to portray his model-a woman with whom he has fallen in love-in words rather than in paint, author David J. Murray off ers an extended hymn of praise to her, expressing unresolved yearning throughout.

Following a prologue setting the scene, he presents her with four gifts, each consisting of a set of twelve poems. Th e fi rst set of poems describes what it's like spending Christmas without her; the second set of poems compares her to the Greek goddess Athena; the third set of poems likens her to a ballerina; and the fourth set of poems, written in summer, compares her to the beauty of the season.

Between each set are entr'actes consisting of several poems that comment on the complexities of their situation. Th e collection ends with an epilogue that recalls the mood of the prologue. Reflecting the conflict between Murray's emotions and his sense of propriety with regard to his model," An Artist's Model and Other Poems" presents a cycle of poems that are unabashedly of the high-fl ung romantic genre.