For My Grand-Aunt Wanda

She was a beautiful child
Of the mountains
And coal-mining hollers
Of Appalachia
Growing up with dreams
Of a life
Beyond the barefoot summers
And the plastic covered windows
Of winter.
She dreamt
Of becoming an actress,
Of having running water
And an indoor toilet,
Of evening soirees
And of seeing the great cities
Of the world;
But her life seemed set.
Directed by family and community
She would one day marry
A miner or a share cropper
And bear many children
And live out her days
In rural Appalachia.
But...
One day in rebellion
She decided
To be all she could be
And joined the Army
And she went off to see the world.
There she was retrained.
She lost her accent.
She learned deportment.
She became a lady
And in a way,
She became an actress
For she became a spy.
A very good spy.
Eventually,
Her military career behind her,
She became a reporter
And married a photographer
And settled into an elegant life
In Washington, D.C.,
Far from the mining camps
Of Appalachia.
Now retired,
She spends her days
Beloved by family, and
Surrounded by friends
And memories of a life
Well spent.
An inspiration to many,
She remains
A heroine to me.