Some
time before 1827 someone
Scratched
off the paint covering
The
woman in the red cloak,
A
refugee from an earlier painting
Suspected
by scholars to be Dido
Or
Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra.
Whoever
she is, she does her best
Resting
a hand on Joseph's shoulder
While
feigning interest in the baby
Who
is not for an instant fooled.
