of pain
(and I am at St Catherine's again,
at the window again
amazed again
at the way a steep hill holds growing green on its swerve
when it will support nothing else).
On the wall is St Catherine of Siena, sheets of chestnut hair floating in heaven-driven winds, Catherine who I always fail to love when I remember that she is not the Catherine of spike-wheeled martyrdom. Catherine of Siena looks at me with all of her soul in her soft smile; she looks at me, glad that I will not be staying. I think about the mothers I know or have seen or have heard of. My mother, Amy Eleni's mother, mothers in books, mothers in Chabella's apataki, her stories about the gods. Twenty-four not being old enough, I want to tell my son, Not now, please."
Never having read her before today, I am in awe.
I am often OTT with my expressions of sentiment, and deliberately so. But this time my tongue lies not in cheek.
Get it today.
2 comments:
God I love Helen,she helps you to look deeper within yourself for terms of expression.Love your book list.erm bar the boyfriend one,oga would not like it.
Oga would oh!! Please get it for him. Its written by married women even, and they refer to their husbands as their boyfriends. My oga got it for me. Think he might be regretting that... have already put post-its on all the dozens of pages I want him to read. Lol Xxx
Post a Comment