Photograph of a Young Woman, 1873: National Portrait Gallery
/Kimberly Gibbs
Child, you seem neither princess nor lady,
governess nor maid. Fine black bonnet blooms
bourgeoisie over velvet pagoda
sleeves thanks to a bootstrapping patriarch,
his picture bride dreams. Plaid bow enormous
beneath your pale clamshell chin presents you:
white flowers, ebony curls, tender lips.
Slight fingers grasp the thin vermilion spine
of a cherished book, partially obscured
in ample swathes of lace at demure wrists.
Cage crinoline skirt, well outside the lens
of this epistolary courtship portrait.
Where will this portrait travel? West by train?
Does a future husband wait in St. Louis?
Or will you steam along the Mississippi?
Do you long to see the remote untamed
flats of the west? Or do you fear the wild?
Child, can this portrait manifest your destiny?
Author’s Bio: Kimberly Jane Simms (Gibbs) is an acclaimed Greenville poet, literary organizer, and educator whose voice is deeply rooted in the Southern tradition of storytelling, influenced by her British and Southern heritage. Her poetry enlightens and moves audiences, offering works that are both poignant and inspiring. In her debut poetry collection, Lindy Lee: Songs on Mill Hill, Kimberly chronicles the lives of textile workers in the Piedmont region with historical accuracy and imaginative insight. Kimberly is a former Carl Sandburg National Historic Site Writer-in-Residence, a TedX speaker, and a slam pioneer turned literary curator. She is a member of the South Carolina Humanities Council’s Speakers Bureau, and her work is archived in the South Carolina Poetry Archives at Furman University.
As the founder of the nonprofit Wits End Poetry—a thriving organization she has led since 2002—Kimberly has made significant contributions to the literary arts, organizing major literary festivals and fostering community engagement. Her poems have been featured in numerous literary magazines and anthologies, and she is the author of two chapbooks in addition to her full-length collection. A past member of the championship-winning first Greenville Slam Team and a “Legend of the South” named by the National Poetry Slam, she continues to enrich the literary landscape with her creative contributions.
Kimberly holds a Master’s in English with a Creative Writing focus from Clemson University and a Bachelor’s in English from Furman University, with an additional 30 graduate hours in education. Kimberly is currently the Director of Education at the Metropolitan Arts Council in Greenville, SC where she lives with her husband and daughter. She previously served on the board of the Emrys Foundation, the Executive Committee of Poetry Slam Inc., and was the Literary Chair for the Travelers Rest Arts Mission.
Ron Rash, award-winning author of Serena, says about Kimberly: "she writes with eloquence and empathy about an important part of Southern history - too often neglected.”
