Barbara Lydecker Crane

A Hunting Still Life
    The White Peacock (1693), a painting by Jan Weenix  

I wish these creatures had been spared,
but who am I to grouse or gripe
when paintings of this very type
now have my reputation snared?
My patron, a hunter, had me arrange
his slew of game birds, one tawny hare,
and a white peacock (very rare).
If not for income, I’d exchange
my specialty of now-stilled life
for that of bottles, fruits, and knife.

Barbara Lydecker Crane has won the Kim Bridgford Memorial Sonnet Crown Contest, the Helen Schaible Sonnet Contest, and was twice a Finalist for the Rattle Poetry Prize. She has published five collections, including You Will Remember Me (2023) and Art & Soul (2025).