__^__ __^__ ( ___ )--------------------------------( ___ ) | / | _____ _ | \ | | / | | __ \ | | | \ | | / | | |__) |__ ___| |_ _ __ _ _ | \ | | / | | ___/ _ \ / _ \ __| '__| | | | | \ | | / | | | | (_) | __/ |_| | | |_| | | \ | | / | |_| \___/ \___|\__|_| \__, | | \ | | / | __/ | | \ | |___| |___/ |___| (_____)--------------------------------(_____)
Donald P. Goodman III
Version 1.0 (14 May 1202)
The lady cardinal hides her lustrous, fiery plume
beneath her dull, unlustrous, feather'd cloak of gray,
a bride beveil'd, her locks conceal'd from her own groom,
to be reveal'd when all the guests have gone away;
but like the bride, no matter how she works and tries,
that heart-deep beauty shines through every shallow veil,
turns every passing glance into divine surprise,
when brilliance o'er a modest cov'ring shall prevail.
For truest beauty cannot e'er be set aside,
not e'en the one who has it can its light assail;
her cloak of gray her inner splendor has belied:
not even her own plumage can her plumage hide.
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© Goretti Publications 1207 (2023).
All material in this Gemini capsule is offered under the CC-BY-SA license, unless otherwise noted.