26 Aug 2005, 2:36am
Writing
by David


Gaslight: the Movie

Reminiscing

Laura Ingalls’ TV sister Mary goes blind

in this episode, Little House #84,

the two-part season finale. A real tear-

jerker, it’s not unlike the Ingrid Bergman/

Charles Boyer film, except that things

turn out differently. There is no saving

the girl’s sight, for one. It’s part of

her TV Destiny. But then she teaches

at the blind school, and that seems like

it ought to be OK. There are never enough

villains in these things. Now drink your

cocktail, sweetie. We’re there.

En Braille

The fronds come off a bicycle or

tricycle and go deep within someplace.

There’s a velvet paddle and gold chains,

a soft comb, something you squeeze

to suggest hunger. And the weeds grow

right by the pond. You approach it

from the angle that you find coming off

the street. (This is not easy to do blind-

folded, but we’ve been practicing.) Smell

the flowers? The day is wet. There are fans

up high, circulating the room. A sweet

poison, which falls. And then this.