VISIONS OF JOAN
(on Joan of Arc)
As a child, I saw your birthplace;
a small cottage, barely four walls and a roof.
Nothing inside but a faint smell of urine,
like an empty barn; appropriate enough,
whether for a Prince of Peace,
or a Princess of War.
Your cathedral on a grassy hill
blessed you as you played your games
outside on the gnarled monstrosity
called “The Fairy Tree” –
while angels and saints talked to you.
Rheims, the cathedral of coronation,
spoke differently, of duty,
of kings and queens.
Which voice was loudest, Joan?
Shakespeare showed you aloof
to the shepherd from Domremy,
“Thou art no father nor friend of mine.”
Is that a clue, Maid?
Finally Chateau Jaulny whispered,
“Come to me. My walls will protect,
be it from armies or inquisitors.”
The dining hall had a portrait of a Lady,
looking weary.
Is that you, la Pucelle?
Did you hear of Margaret d’Anjou
and long to feel
the honesty of steel?
Author Biography
Robert Meyer received a BS in Math from UNLV in 1977, enrolling in their Master’s program in the fall. In May of 1978, during the last week of the school year, he had a brain hemorrhage (left side, affecting speech & right side of body) while lecturing in complex analysis. He completed work for his MS in Math in 1981. He began working for the US Air Force at Nellis AFB in various computer related jobs (database management, programming, and system administration) in 1982 and retired after 22 years.