Tonight's Poet Corner: Sonnet Solstice #290

Strabismus

by Belinda Roddie

Strabismus plagued the professor's left eye

and made it settle on a different scene

than she saw from her right eye. She would try

to joke about it, but the jokes were mean

and so self-deprecating. I believed

that she was beautiful, no matter what,

and so I left her flowers in between

my classes, my heart dropping to my gut

at the thought of how she would then react

to my gifts. Yes, I loved her, lazy eye

and all, her gaze slightly crossed like a pact

between two star-crossed lovers who would die

for one another. I was lovesick, true,

but what else can a nerdy student do?