And Then My Heart With Pleasure Fills
—for Miss Hobson
At Cathedral Girls High School
the Sisters of St. Joseph reigned
in raven robes and starched wimples.
My heart was loyal to Miss Hobson
her Chanel suits, pink or lilac
adorned with pastel green and cream silk blouses.
The voluminous skirts of the Sisters of St. Joseph
trapped stale incense.
Miss Hobson’s fragrance, a spring bouquet
roses, peonies and lilies of the valley.
The Sisters of St. Joseph
loved Jesus and students of wealthy parents.
Miss Hobson chose me
to read from our literature textbook
saying I had a musical voice.
The Sisters of St. Joseph championed
fear of hell’s terrors.
Miss Hobson led us
into Wordsworth’s “ … host of garden daffodils;
beside the lake, beneath the trees,
fluttering and dancing in the breeze.”
by Venera Fazio
from Paterson Literary Review,
Paterson, NJ, 2015