Artist and Model

She is content to pose
in his varied gaze,
sometimes a coolly critical squint,
sometimes hotly, erotically open.

He seldom touches her,
his hands restless on the canvas
although his eyes take in
every curve and angle.

To test him she will
casually open her eyes
through a veil of lashes,
her thighs, as if to ease discomfort,
her lips, knowing his eyes are there.

If he is tempted he looks away
only to return to her now closed
body, languidly naked,
a Da Vinci smile curving his way.

He cannot fathom if it is desire
or wantonness,
if she is nymph to his satyr?
He hides his desire from her
but she knows her power
and reaches out to touch it
as he flinches away.

Tomorrow,
tomorrow he may allow
her hand to settle but, for now he
tortures them both.