Camille Monet

Camille Monet

Monet's father refused to send money,
the scandal of his son and Camille

living together unforgivable.
Hadn't Claude chosen painting

over his world of business? Now this woman?
But Camille loved Claude

as much as he loved both the outdoors
and her. There was no need for jealousy

or the expense of other models.
Invariably she fondly recalled posing

in a sumptuous red kimono
or standing with her parasol

in a field lit with poppies.
She never questioned Claude's loyalty

even after Alice Hoschedé
moved in with them, and Alice's husband

was safely dispatched to Paris.
Gossip may have been a thick perfume

in the house, but from her death bed
Camille watched Claude capturing

her faded beauty with his brush,
attentive as always to her

alone.