OTMA’S LAST POETRY: TRUTH

Royalty, Russian Revolution, Siblings, Sisters, Truth, ,

From her diaries and letters concerning her, Olga was thought to have the best idea out of her family of their eventual fate. Toward the end of her life, she was aloof and very depressed. She spent a lot of time with her ill brother, Alexei,  and in her own thoughts. This last photograph of her with her brother on their last train ride speaks thousands of words:

Little brother, Alexei, and Olga on the train to what would end up being their final destination in 1918. This picture shows an aging and wise princess.

It brings up many questions. And Olga often asked many questions. I believe she naturally searched for truth.

Truth by O
What is truth?

Pilate’s timeless questions
Is well-worth to mention.

Often, truth is in front of us
Which we try to ignore,
Wash , and spill our guilt to the floor.

We can all spout off a list
Of who’s the one to blame
And then read our owns names with shame.

Every person in this house
Must ask themselves what is true
And decide what they’re going to do.

We are accountable
To search for the facts
And then our following acts.

Wherefore, we must all answer to—

What is truth?

Around 1914

Around 1914

 

Poem © Sarah Patten

OTMA’S LAST POETRY: TO ALEXANDER

Royalty, Russian Revolution, Sisters, ,

Tatiana played the diplomat family at the Ipatiev House. She would make requests on her family’s behalf.

She had exchanged letters with Siberian Prince Alexander. Though Tatiana probably wasn’t in contact with him the last couple months of her life.  I wrote  a poem about how letters from him might have made her feel in the mist of war and chaos.

To Alexander by T

Every single letter–
Every glorious letter–
From you is like a psalm
Its music heals and makes me feel better
Yet, it’s hard to stay calm
When the heavenly envelope
Is placed in my palm.
How hard it is to cope!
When I read your note
My smile grows
At what you wrote.
That is how my love for you goes.

Tatiana in 1914, the same year when possible marriages negotiations started between her and Alexander. Her father quickly stopped it though because he wanted his daughters to marry someone of their own choice.

Tatiana in 1914, the same year when possible marriages negotiations started between her and Alexander. Her father quickly stopped it though because he wanted his daughters to marry someone of their own choice.

 

King Alexander. As a prince he couldn't stop staring at Tatiana at a dinner. Though the two never became bethrothed, she was a great loss to him when he heard about her death.

King Alexander. As a prince, he couldn’t stop staring at Tatiana at a dinner. Though the two never were  betrothed, he was devastated of her death.

 

Poem © Sarah Patten

OTMA’S LAST POETRY:EACH PERSON

Royalty, Russian Revolution, Sisters, ,

In 1918, the Romanov Imperial Family was moved to the Impatiev House, their final destination. Maria and her parents were the first to come. On the journey, she talked to civilians, and at the destination, she proved to be the friendliest of the family toward the guards. She showed them her photos and asked about their families.

Each Person
by M upon arrival

If each person could live
The way the Lord taught
Then each person would not
Show hate, but instead forgive

Each person has a family–
Gentile, Muslim, Christian, and Jew
Even the cook, teacher, and sharpshooter too
Each person has kin–like you, like me.

Doesn’t each person
Want their mother to sing them to sleep?
You never realize the love in your heart
Until you’re apart
And try not to weep.

Each person I’ve met abroad
Should praise and sing
That we’re the Lord’s offspring–
Each person is a child of God!

Maria_Nikolaevna_1914

Poem © Sarah Patten

Review of Catherine of Braganza: Charles II’s Restoration Queen

Book Review, , ,

Thanks to Sarah-Beth Watkins’ Catherine of Braganza: Charles II’s Restoration Queen, we finally get a solid biography of the Portuguese princess turned queen of England.

As the title suggests, this biography mainly concentrates on Catherine’s years as queen consort to Charles II. However, Watkins does nicely provide a rare glimpse of Catherine’s life before her marriage and after the death of Charles II.

Catherine book

Whether it was the beginning, middle, or ending of Catherine’s story, a reoccurring theme is the difficulties of being a princess and a queen. Through good storytelling, this biography gives information about what real life is like for royal women. They constantly get judged publicly, have obligations to follow, and have to pick and choose their battles carefully. Watkins gives the valuable insight: “A princess, and often a queen, must do as she was told.”

A common hardship being married to a king is often his affairs. Catherine goes down in English history as a tragic queen who had to deal with a husband who womanized a lot. Far too often, though, I read books and blogs that describe Catherine being “desperately in love” with her unfaithful husband. Watkins doesn’t jump to that conclusion. Instead, she gives us stories in which show the tension and tenderness between Catherine and Charles. We also get more details of what Catherine did away from the royal court and Charles.

Catherine of Braganza: Charles II’s Restoration Queen is a valuable read. The more you get to know this queen, the more you agree with the observation of Minette, Charles II’s sister, about Catherine: “It is impossible not to love her.”

flower-148574_960_720

Link:
Catherine of Braganza: Charles II’s Restoration Queen

Sleeping Princesses: Standing Up for Sleeping Beauty and Snow White

Blog, ,

I’ve been wanting  to write about the popular damsels in distress for a long time. And since the feminist live action Beauty and the Beast movie is coming to theaters very soon, I’m going to prove how awesome Sleeping Beauty and Snow White actually are.

No, I’m not going to go through modern retellings. However, I have to say that modern observations in health are important when looking at these traditional fairytales. Whether it be waking up from a concussion, seizure, a form of shock, heat exhaustion, an illness, or some other shock that overcame your body, it can be very scary, and sometimes life-threatening.

I know because I’ve been there.

Once upon a time, I nearly got a prince.

Years ago, I was doing some student teaching in the summer. With all the stress, lack of sleep, and heat, I passed out and needed medical help. The paramedics were there in minutes. (So I heard.) I remember waking up and saw some attractive gentlemen hovering over me. They were so sweet asking about how I was feeling and asked other nice questions witnesses told me later. I remember thinking that I couldn’t mess up. Guys like these never approach me! I didn’t want them to think I was stupid. I felt stupid, though, when a fellow classmate gave the following account:

“One of the guys went right by you and said, ‘Hi, I’m Jake. What’s your name?’ And you just looked at him.’” She reenacted a blank stare. “ ‘Can I sit by you?’” My classmate stared again. It was a good laugh.

Despite a fall, I was still in fine health. I hadn’t needed CPR, but apparently I resisted and was scared  when they were trying to stabilize me. I was such an idiot!

Another witness, who always wore her gray hair in a bun, said, “They were hot! You should bake them cookies.”

But someone said the paramedics were probably married.

Darn!

Whatever the marital status, I was grateful for their help, but was alarmed at the insurance bill. I couldn’t help but think, “Well that’s the most expensive date I’ve ever been on!”

In all seriousness, though, I saw the world in a different kind of light. I saw genuine kindness from classmates and mentors. My family still supported me, and I was stronger than I thought I was. I passed and completed that semester.

From a couple weeks to a hundred years, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White eventually came out their drowsiness. They had help, but we know that we must accept help sometimes in order to live.

They managed to ride a horse, dance, and found someone that wanted to marry them. Finding someone that wants to marry you, despite past and present medical conditions, is one of the greatest challenges of all.

So, don’t you dis on Snow White or Sleeping Beauty!  They’re heroines who learned to ignore the negative stigmas placed on their health conditions.

Take that, Belle!

 

Image: Resting by Victor Gabriel Gilbert

 

Princess Lamballe: Dealing With Moral and Political Clashes

French Revolution, , ,

Early morning on  inauguration day. I  was browsing Facebook and came across some fantastic links about peace and coming together. Other people posted how they hate, hate everything about the new leadership. I think it’s understandable. It’s hard to know exactly what to do. How do we support our government without compromising our own beliefs?

Then a name came to mind.

Lamballe.

Princess Marie Louise of Savoy, also known as the “princess de Lamballe”, was a cousin-in-law and good friend to Marie-Antoinette. (For this post I will refer to princesse de Lamballe as Princess Lamballe.)

Marie_Therese_de_Savoie,_princesse_de_Lamballe_02

Princess Lamballe was an intellectual, open to new ideas, but was opinionated and a staunch Bourbon royal family supporter. She even went to England in hopes of gathering supporters for the French royal family. She went back to France and was in the Queen’s service till she was separated from the royal family.

Princess Lamballe was brought to trial September 3, 1792 where she was asked to make a promise to liberty and denounce the King, Queen, and Monarchy.

This is a what-would-you-do moment. What could you do—would you disown yourself, people you love, your own belief system or give in to something you don’t believe in? What would keep peace?

I suspect Princess Lamballe had a feeling a moment like this would come.

She agreed to make an oath to Liberty and Equality but would not denounce the King, Queen, and monarchy. Her trial ended with the words, “emmenez madame,” which means, “take madame away.” She was then taken out to the street where she was tortured and murdered. When I found out about this particular murder in history, I was of course horrified. Just replace some nouns dropped in her trial, and you see how relevant her trial is to today.

I hope there won’t be violence no matter how much we disagree. I pray for peace and that I can act peacefully. I’ll still fight for what I believe in. I admit I’m still unsure how. That’s why I see Princess Lamballe, who lived in the eighteenth century, as a new kind of hero. I’m beginning to recognize these kinds of heroes more. They have such diverse beliefs than the new leadership yet show respect to the government and try to be unified. It’s fortunate we have such great examples living in these times because it’s tough. It’s easier said than done.

Sources and Further Readings:
“Elders Oaks, Holland counsel young adults regarding political divisions and life’s changes.” Deseret News. Accessed January 21, 2017
“The Death of the Princesse de Lamballe”  MadameGuillotine.org. Accessed January 21, 2017.
“Princess Marie Louise of Savoy”  Wikipedia. org. Accessed January 21, 2016

Images:
Portrait of the Princess of Lamballe by Anton Hickel, 1788.
Portrait of Madame de Lamballe by Louis-Edouard Rioult .