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- Article from:
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The Hudson Review
- Article date:
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July 1, 2008
- Author:
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Copyright informationCopyright Hudson Review Summer 2008. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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"Mama," I called my father's new wife, long
Before my older sisters, both still mourning
Their dark-haired, stylish, much-loved parent, did.
Never in words did Daddy convey the torment
He felt when Mother died; in fact, till forced to,
Avoided even mentioning her name.
Pictures of her he put in hiding. She
Like all invisible ideas or persons
Loomed, she became, what, legendary.
No doubt he thought he should play down bereavement
So as not to jeopardize his second marriage.
The Hitchcock film Rebecca, had he seen that,
The one in which a wife succumbs to fears
She matters less to her beloved than
His first? As dilemmas go, it's sort of common,
Even when just divorce has torn a husband
From ...