An angel -- not one of the major ones but still
Powerful and scary -- having read a copy of
Harris' Guide to the Ladies of Covent-Garden
For the Year of Our Lord 1790, asks your help
Reviving all of the ninety-one women listed there
From wise Miss Allan ("middle-sized," "dark eyes and hair")
To careless Miss York ("fair complexion and full eyes ...
Vibrates even her feet to the motion of every fiddle").
You supply the craft while he draws upon
His account with The Illimitable Grace of God.
You've not much to work from - smart grey eyes,
Melting blue eyes, strange green eyes
That are small or big or shrewd. A willingness
To use a whip. A willingness to be whipped.
A reluctance to swear. Traces of a good education.
Expects five pounds and five shillings for the night.
Charges a guinea. Charges a half guinea.
Takes whatever's offered and is glad of it.
Has a temper. An accent. A scar. A sister. A sad story.
Bodies. Teeth. Legs. Bosoms. Breath.
The work is extremely challenging --
Exactly what shade is "melting blue?" Just how tall
Is "middling sized?" You can't believe how long it takes
To get the shadows right! -- but you bring them back.
Not one of them thanks you and the angel
When you ask for a favor says there are limits
Even to The Illimitable Grace of God.
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