Would we

smile wisely

or

rub our forefinger across our upper lip

to conceal

Or whisper

"Queer"

Or

yell

the smirk?

"Hey! Lady-lover!"?

When Jeanne stood

against her stake

and

Red hot flames

lit

sparks to tiny sunbleached hairs on

arms and legs,

Did she

scream

or

in agony

in protest

to feel destruction of a

body which

she

never understood.

And

if

She did

the latter,

Does it make her deed less great?

Carol Bradford

9