Like Catherine, I like the different kinds of "reflection" that are at work in this poem. I love the metaphor of the face as an unbaked boule. I do find the syntax demanding in the third stanza, but I read it as saying that his eye recognizes his own gaze in her gaze, and he does not allow the strong colors around her face to distract the viewer from what is going on in her character. Some paintings are about color and composition; this one, I think, is about psychological insight, satire, and empathy in a complex combination.
Susan
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