Sharecroppers' child, she was more schooled 
In slaughtering pigs and coaxing corn out of 
The ground than in the laws of Math, the rules 
Of Grammar. Seventeen, she fell in love
With the senior quarterback, and nearly 
Married him, but?the wedding just a week
Away?drove her trousseau back to Penney's,
Then drove on past sagging fences, flooding creeks,
And country bars to huge Washington State, 
Where, feeling like a hick, she studied French to compensate. 

She graduated middle-of-her-class, 
Managed a Senior Center while she flailed 
Away at an M.A., from the morass 
Of which a poet/rock-singer from Yale 
Plucked her. He loved her practicality; 
She adored his brilliance. Sex was great.
They married in a civil ceremony. 
He played around, for which she berated 
Herself, telling friends things were "hunky-dory."
Resentment grew... oh, you said "life"? That's another story.