Mary Read’s Smile
Poem (audio)
Like Mona Lisa’s
I read Mary’s
It follows me
haunts me
beyond the afterimage
and I wonder as in Mona Lisa
who Mary really was
what was
behind the smile
Maybe a lover
maybe lilies
or maybe, just life
maybe nothing at all
We’ll never know
Commentary:
It should have been that I come across Mary Read’s smile in a print or TV ad, or perhaps, it should have been that I hear mention of her name announced as “Teacher of the Year”. Instead, I heard about Mary Read, a slain victim, via a news segment about the deadly Viriginia Tech campus mass shooting in 2007.
Mary had hopes to be an elementary teacher. Also, she was deeply involved in Bible study and her Christian faith, grasped the French language well and played clarinet.
That smile of hers grabbed me right away from first glance. She looked friendly, seemed like everyone’s friend. She reminded me of a few girls with whom I went to school- was smart, pretty and nice with their stuff together to conquer the world.
Mary Read serves as a reminder to take a moment to focus on true victimhood— NOT dwell on mad perpetrators of crime and NOT on so many folks as of late claiming false victimhood to gain social clout.
Check out:
The VT Biography of Mary Read:
Notes she left behind and what we can learn about forgiving.
Hear about Mary Read’s
new memorial site in Annandale, Virginia.
Leave a tip for Marinarena
A lovely poem, Marinarena.
A beautiful way to honour Mary.
Beautiful tribute, Marinarena.