<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Susanna<div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div class="yiv6315329592byline" style="color: rgb(12, 75, 110); text-align: center;"><br class=""></div><div class="yiv6315329592work" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489843797238_29919" style="background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;"><div class="yiv6315329592" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(247, 247, 244);">Nobody in the hospital<br class="yiv6315329592">Could tell the age<br class="yiv6315329592">Of the old woman who<br class="yiv6315329592">Was called Susanna</div><div class="yiv6315329592" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1489843797238_29918" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(247, 247, 244);">I knew she spoke some English<br class="yiv6315329592">And that she was an immigrant<br class="yiv6315329592">Out of a little country<br class="yiv6315329592">Trampled by armies</div><div class="yiv6315329592" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(247, 247, 244);">Because she had no visitors<br class="yiv6315329592">I would stop by to see her<br class="yiv6315329592">But she was always sleeping</div><div class="yiv6315329592" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(247, 247, 244);">All I could do<br class="yiv6315329592">Was to get out her comb<br class="yiv6315329592">And carefully untangle<br class="yiv6315329592">The tangles in her hair</div><div class="yiv6315329592" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(247, 247, 244);">One day I was beside her<br class="yiv6315329592">When she woke up<br class="yiv6315329592">Opening small dark eyes<br class="yiv6315329592">Of a surprising clearness</div><div class="yiv6315329592" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(247, 247, 244);">She looked at me and said<br class="yiv6315329592">You want to know the truth?<br class="yiv6315329592">I answered Yes</div><div class="yiv6315329592" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(247, 247, 244);">She said it’s something that<br class="yiv6315329592">My mother told me</div><div class="yiv6315329592" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(247, 247, 244);">There’s not a single inch<br class="yiv6315329592">Of our whole body<br class="yiv6315329592">That the Lord does not love</div><div class="yiv6315329592" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(247, 247, 244);">She then went back to sleep.</div><div class="yiv6315329592" style="margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(247, 247, 244);"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- Anne Porter</div></div></div></body></html>