Susan Hawthorne #169 Penelope and Sita (for PSC)

they met in a book group neither knew
anything of the other's past    not
the departures or abandonments
nor the long distance betrayals

not until they talked about
the novels they were reading
and Penelope said     he went
away and didn't return for ten years

Sita looked up from her book
was it a war? she asked
yes and more    he went to war
was distracted by love and seduction

he claimed that it was the storms
delayed him most but I know
Odysseus better than that
I had my weaving to go on with

Sita looked around the group
wondered if she should tell all
it had been nearly two years now
and she'd said little of herself

culture creates gaps    so she spoke
I was at home in the forest    Rama
off on a deer hunting trip    the deer
came right up to the house and Rama

was nowhere to be seen    we made 
friends the deer and I and one day
he invited me to fly away with him
I had no weaving so I went

turned out it was Ravana the rakshasa
enemy of Rama    like you keeping
your suitors at bay I retained every 
bit of integrity    he didn't touch me

they never believe you    I had to prove
to Rama my purity by entering the fire
Penelope rises grabs her knitting
sits down close to Sita    how long do we wait?

I have been thinking of Penelope all day.