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Hidden Springs, Delicate Wheels: Mrs. Lincoln's Dismay
I bore the weight of that long, clumsy frame
in bed, and yet when passion overcame
his body, he did not cry out my name.
My family's wealth gave him a better start
in politics, to a heroic part.
Despite all this, I bear the secret shame
that Herndon, that old bastard, now writes of,
with witnesses' own statements that reveal
one sole, abiding, and resplendent love,
two souls joined by their choice, in bliss more real
than mere appearance. You lived in his heart,
but haunted me as only spectres can.
Although dead, you clung fiercely to your man,
and I do not forgive you for that, Ann.
