I knew a woman who was truly one of a kind. She was strong, independent, and always seemed to have a smile on her face, no matter what life threw her way.
She had a heart of gold and was always willing to lend a helping hand to those in need. She was a natural caregiver and always put the needs of others before her own. She was a true role model, and I always looked up to her.
One thing that always impressed me about this woman was her ability to overcome adversity. She had faced many challenges in her life, but she never let them get the best of her. She always found a way to persevere and come out on top.
In addition to her strength and determination, this woman was also incredibly intelligent. She was well-read and always had something interesting to say. She had a way of engaging others in thoughtful conversation and was always eager to learn and grow.
Despite all of her many achievements, this woman was also incredibly humble. She never bragged about her accomplishments or put herself on a pedestal. Instead, she was always willing to share her knowledge and experience with others, and she always made time for those around her.
In short, the woman I knew was an incredible human being. She was kind, compassionate, and always put others first. I feel truly blessed to have known her and to have been able to learn from her example.
I Knew a Woman by Theodore Roethke
I always enjoy reading books on medical subjects, but this one was special. I think I wanted to like this book more than I actually did like it. Thus the poem is a grand eulogy rather than an elegy. The poem leaves little doubt about the double meaning of the "prodigious mowing" the poet and the woman "made," and the entire third stanza can be read as an account of their lovemaking, in which, as the "sickle," she instructs the poet as the "rake" , who is "a martyr" to the woman's "motion. In this compassionate and expansive book, she provides a template. In the fourth stanza, her motions are mentioned as most memorable to him. In their complexity and extravagance they are akin to the conceits of John Donne and other metaphysical poets.
Among the books one is supposed to have read on the subject, this stands out as a delight. Some patients were sniffling or coughing, others just stared at the floral carpet. Men, for all their position in the world, were like these beating moths, humbled before us. In slavishly following behind another person, he sacrifices autonomy but gains a larger freedom. She taught me Turn, and Counter-turn, and Stand; She taught me Touch, that undulant white skin. .
Now that you know what I know, read it again and perhaps view it in a new way. Her beauty, he says, goes far deeper than her skin; it goes all the way down to her bones. A poet and nurse-practitioner with twenty five years' experience, Davis reveals the beauty of the body's workings by unfolding the lives of four patients who struggle with its natural cycles and unexpected surprises: pregnancy and childbirth, illness and recovery, sexual dysfunction and sexual joy. My sister turned to me to get us back to where we needed to be, only to find me blushing bright red, since I, a 10-year-old boy, most definitely did not know how to get us out of the vulva. He says that he "nibbled meekly from her proffered hand," as though he is like an animal with her, she leading him and he following her.
My inner thighs burned when I tried to stand. She knew various ways of making love. Sitting to my left, she saw me slide to the end of the leather table, how the white paper stuck and bunched under me. He took me into his exam room, told me to sit on that same massive old wood and metal table, and asked me to take off my shirt and bra. Could not put it down when I read it years ago and still remember it as one of the bests I've read.
I Knew a Woman: Four Women Patients and Their Female Caregiver by Cortney Davis, Paperback
But who would count eternity in days? Love likes a gander, and adores a goose: Her full lips pursed, the errant note to seize; She played it quick, she played it light and loose; My eyes, they dazzled at her flowing knees; Her several parts could keep a pure repose, Or one hip quiver with a mobile nose She moved in circles, and those circles moved. The Glass House: The Life of Theodore Roethke. Although I had no idea what a pelvic exam was, I assumed that once a woman experienced sex, she could endure anything. Its tone is a subtle mix of the comic and the serious. A favorite patient's unexpected cervical cancer affects Davis more than anticipated, and an attempt to help a patient face emotionally painful truths about her past leads the author to divulge her own bit of uncomfortable history. She is elevated, however, to the mythic level, as though her beauty is the stuff of legend, like that of Helen of Troy.
The third stanza, to me, is the most abstract. Riley told my mother it was time to do one anyway. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1987. The image shows a woman only as an object of male desire, an object to be enjoyed by men. Even creatures in nature seem to recognize this, and she has some kind of communion with them. Just as a faithful dog might gain a treat from its trainer, the man receives the rewards of love.
I Knew a Woman will alter your perception of the humanity of medicine and the ordinary miracle of our physical selves. When the birds "sigh," she communicates back with them in understanding. I was only there because I knew the games and how to play them. I loved this book! An abundance of solid medical information imbues every graceful line. The last date is today's date — the date you are citing the material. In the third stanza also, he adds to the image of a sexually playful and attractive woman.
The capitalized words denoting dance positions are also technical terms from the sport of coursing, or hunting with hounds. The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates. I'm not sure that was the intention of the author but I laughed. The result is beautiful writing about women; as patients, as caregive "I Knew A Woman" is one of the best books I've read in a long time. The second date is today's date — the date you are citing the material. . Outside was a different world: green buds unfurling, children in strollers.
I Knew a Woman by Theodore Roethke: Summary and Critical Analysis
. Mother paid the bill my poor mother, the obedient well-intentioned woman who would die at age seventy-eight, her last pelvic exam the one following my birth! Thanks for enriching my Autumn morning. I believe, and Roethke may have believed as well, sex is supposed to be fun. No drape or johnny coat this time. Two months later, she's pregnant. I did my Senior Independent Study at university on Ted Roethke and continue to consider him not only a favorite, but also an important American poet. She lowered her eyes and allowed the doctor to do what he thought best.
