CanLit Poets

A Band of Hair Beneath the Veil

by Will Garrett-Petts

Faith you can touch           Seventy tons of Bernini
Stone caskets of priests underfoot
Peter poured into bronze           his right toes
           worn away by the kisses of the faithful
Only the blessed Mother
           and her child
          elude you here           separate
          protected now from maniacs

There is no doubt           says a nun from New Zealand
It is Peter who is buried there
You want to believe this woman
           this nun
I stop on the street
           when I see she is carrying an English guidebook
She is no zealot
I don't know what the hell they think
           they're looking at
          waving her hand benignly in the direction
           of a passing
           Italian couple
It must be the way I'm dressed           Their nuns
           are so rigid           but they do look beautiful
           don't they           all in black           to the ground
I'd never look that good

The nun from New Zealand
          is not dressed for bending
Her blue habit stops
           slightly
below her knees           and she shows a band of hair beneath
          her veil
When she walks with me out of the square
           a young Italian eyes her calves and whistles
He does not think she hears him           missing
           the sledgehammer stare
It is the custom here
But she turns away           unhappy
Like the Pieta behind glass
           she remains always at arm's length

Questions & Answers

What inspired "A Band of Hair Beneath the Veil"?

The poem hinges upon a true story: the nun described (a very worldly figure) seemed wonderfully out of place. I had to write about her.

What poetic techniques did you use in "A Band of Hair Beneath the Veil"?

The poem's movement from journal entry to poetry meant that I needed to play with the line, keeping the original prose form alive but also showcasing the central image.

"A Band of Hair Beneath the Veil" originally appeared in Canadian Literature #106: Italian-Canadian Connections (Autumn 1985)

MLA: Garrett-Petts, Will. CanLit Poets: "A Band of Hair Beneath the Veil" by Will Garrett-Petts. canlit.ca. Canadian Literature, 19 Oct. 2008. Web. 8 Sept. 2010.