Arthur
It was a Physical Education class–
Social Dance –
a coed event where your partner
was selected by chance.
As Arthur entered the classroom
students looked away.
He was enormous – six feet six inches tall,
three hundred pounds.
His shoulder length hair
the color of coal.
His clothing – black polyester slacks,
a crimson tee-shirt saying Go Big Red,
on his feet, cowboy boots.
When the music began, students skittered
like crabs toward any partner except him,
so sure he was clumsy. I also tried to escape.
I was too slow. By default,
I became Arthur’s partner.
With a firm grip on my right hand
his palm pressed in the small of my back
my arm stretched onto his thick shoulder
away we went in swoops, twirls,
foxtrot, waltz, cha cha cha and tango.
His lead was precise but gentle
as he moved like a gazelle
over the entire dance floor
carrying me along in his bliss.
At the final exam Arthur and I earned A’s.
It was I that stumbled over my prejudice,
it was Arthur who offered grace.
Xunantunich
We sit on the highest point in Succotz Belize –
Xunantunich – a classical Maya ceremonial
center with its spectacular panoramic view
of the Cayo District and Mopan River.
Local Maya know this place –
Maiden of the Rock.
Here the ghost of a woman appears
dressed in white with fiery red eyes, ascends
the staircase disappears into El Castillo
above. Reclaimed from the jungle
the frieze of gleaming white stucco images
overlooks ball courts and mounds below
depicts events of Mayan mythology. To our right
a large Sun God image sits next to frames
of twisted rope and other celestial images.
You point into the distance toward your
farm, two miles from Succotz by dark jungle trail,
where you walked many times, led
by your faithful horse Canario. You recall
life as a homesteader in the midst of lush
rainforest, feel waves of guilt as a slash
and burn farmer. We have been guided
here by the son of Mr. Panti, the neighbor
man you found murdered with an ax.
You recount an army ant invasion of your
lean-to jungle home where you watched from
your hammock as millions of ants swarmed
over your mosquito net in pursuit of insect
prey. With Humberto’s help you survived
until isolation and disappointment
ended your stay.
Now when you return, the locals know
you are in town, come in friendship, knock
on your hotel door, offer hospitality,
refresh your Spanish in conversation
while sipping Two Barrel Rum and Coke,
as the Maiden of the Rock watches.
Lynn M. Hansen is a retired Modesto Junior College professor of marine biology. A member of the Ina Coolbrith Circle, Orinda, CA, MoSt Poetry Center, Modesto and National League of American Pen Women, her work reflects her sense of place and the art of story-telling. She enjoys gardening with native plants, photography, cooking and writing. With her husband Richard Anderson she has traveled to all five continents and enjoys adventures in different cultural realms. In 2013 a collection of her poems was published by Quercus Review Press entitled Flicker, Poems by Lynn M. Hansen. She is currently writing an historical novel about her maternal grandmother, Mernie Daisy Lewis, 1882-1963.
It was a Physical Education class–
Social Dance –
a coed event where your partner
was selected by chance.
As Arthur entered the classroom
students looked away.
He was enormous – six feet six inches tall,
three hundred pounds.
His shoulder length hair
the color of coal.
His clothing – black polyester slacks,
a crimson tee-shirt saying Go Big Red,
on his feet, cowboy boots.
When the music began, students skittered
like crabs toward any partner except him,
so sure he was clumsy. I also tried to escape.
I was too slow. By default,
I became Arthur’s partner.
With a firm grip on my right hand
his palm pressed in the small of my back
my arm stretched onto his thick shoulder
away we went in swoops, twirls,
foxtrot, waltz, cha cha cha and tango.
His lead was precise but gentle
as he moved like a gazelle
over the entire dance floor
carrying me along in his bliss.
At the final exam Arthur and I earned A’s.
It was I that stumbled over my prejudice,
it was Arthur who offered grace.
Xunantunich
We sit on the highest point in Succotz Belize –
Xunantunich – a classical Maya ceremonial
center with its spectacular panoramic view
of the Cayo District and Mopan River.
Local Maya know this place –
Maiden of the Rock.
Here the ghost of a woman appears
dressed in white with fiery red eyes, ascends
the staircase disappears into El Castillo
above. Reclaimed from the jungle
the frieze of gleaming white stucco images
overlooks ball courts and mounds below
depicts events of Mayan mythology. To our right
a large Sun God image sits next to frames
of twisted rope and other celestial images.
You point into the distance toward your
farm, two miles from Succotz by dark jungle trail,
where you walked many times, led
by your faithful horse Canario. You recall
life as a homesteader in the midst of lush
rainforest, feel waves of guilt as a slash
and burn farmer. We have been guided
here by the son of Mr. Panti, the neighbor
man you found murdered with an ax.
You recount an army ant invasion of your
lean-to jungle home where you watched from
your hammock as millions of ants swarmed
over your mosquito net in pursuit of insect
prey. With Humberto’s help you survived
until isolation and disappointment
ended your stay.
Now when you return, the locals know
you are in town, come in friendship, knock
on your hotel door, offer hospitality,
refresh your Spanish in conversation
while sipping Two Barrel Rum and Coke,
as the Maiden of the Rock watches.
Lynn M. Hansen is a retired Modesto Junior College professor of marine biology. A member of the Ina Coolbrith Circle, Orinda, CA, MoSt Poetry Center, Modesto and National League of American Pen Women, her work reflects her sense of place and the art of story-telling. She enjoys gardening with native plants, photography, cooking and writing. With her husband Richard Anderson she has traveled to all five continents and enjoys adventures in different cultural realms. In 2013 a collection of her poems was published by Quercus Review Press entitled Flicker, Poems by Lynn M. Hansen. She is currently writing an historical novel about her maternal grandmother, Mernie Daisy Lewis, 1882-1963.