uncommon frailty
in the middle ages
she would have died of
c o n s u m p t i o n

long & curly
in her blondeness
(hair&eyelashes&skin)
no scissors for that married girl
he might cry
and she was born to please

but not a moment passed without her
uncommon sensitivity
or an embarrassed laugh

but no shyness
with
purple
or
lace

or a note
in her own
made-up version
of calligraphy

she was
every movement
every action
uncommon beauty

03/13/2003

Author's Note: A lot of the women that have impacted me have been teachers. Learning is the cornerstone of everything, so it does make sense. I didn't know her very well, that's not hard for me to admit. Others knew her better. But it wasn't an instance where I needed to be intimate to learn from her. She just had ways that made me understand things. She possessed a fragile, womanly quality that made me think of 16th century paintings. It fits really well since that's what she taught. I had her for my Humanities and European History classes. Her face was sort of drawn over the faces of the women in the paintings. She was the girl with the pearl earring. It was Wendy who was weighing things with the Last Judgement in the background. The role of wife was never more evident in any woman. She was meant to be married. And I learned things about marriage from her that I think will stay with me forever. Maybe it's best I never really knew her too well... but I'm eternally grateful I got to be in her presence for a while and even had the chance to call her "friend."

Posted on 03/13/2003
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