Acorn

Each semester
Both 5, 8 and 16
Weeks since 1965
Till my retirement in
2015 I took my students
To see Elisabet Ney’s house
In Hyde Park in Austin which she
Had built in the 1890s when she
Came to Austin to become the
Foremost female sculptor in
Texas a distinctive house
With a third floor tower
And a rough wooden
Stair railing with
Posts each of
Which had
A hand
Carved finial
Of one of the
Nuts grown in
Texas walnut or
Pecan acorn hazel
And of course peanut
Each of which disappeared
Over the decades taken I guess
As souvenirs of some visit by
A modern barbarian so I
Muse on how much of
A benefit my trips to
Ney’s home on so
Many Saturday
Mornings did
For my own
Students
Or Ney’s
Home
But
I hope
They let
My better
Students see
A woman a hundred
Years ahead of her time
Who kept her maiden name
Lived alone though married and
Whose circle of lady friends
Preserved her home and
Sculptors out of love
For her bravery
Talent art and
Dedication
Which
Created
An acorn
From which
Mighty pretty
Texas oaks
May grow.