“Pearls” has it all–humor, pathos, facts, and a fascinating configuration of the name & word “Marguerite.”
Pearls
by Marianne Gambaro
I am at the animal shelter, doing enrichment with a sweet cat named Marguerite, a young orange and white girl who loves to play. I am flipping around her wand toy, and she is jumping and rolling. When one or both of us tire of this game, she knows she will get a squeeze treat which she loves even more than play. She is being treated for medical issues so she will be here for several weeks before she can be put up for adoption.
She is only the second Marguerite I have ever known. And the first one in this millennium.
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In elementary school Marguerite was the tallest girl in our class. Not fashion-model tall and statuesque, but gangly with arms and legs that seemed to get in her way when she moved. Her severely crossed eyes were magnified by Coke bottle bottom-thick glasses. Her hair was orange, not an attractive auburn but more like the fur on the cat I am working with, and it flopped around in undisciplined curls. Her clothes were second hand. When the teacher called on her in class, she rarely gave a correct answer, igniting snickering from her classmates.
Those classmates would tease her at recess with Marguerite go wash your feet/the board of health’s across the street. I’m ashamed to admit that, in an attempt to belong, I joined in occasionally. At least it kept them from taunting me about my orthopedic shoes while the other girls in my class were wearing cute Mary Jane’s.
***
My Latin teacher in my all-girls high school was a seminary dropout who drove a sea blue GTO. His voice was baritonal. When he would go through the roster and not one of us gave a correct answer, he would boom Iaceo margaritas ad porcus!—I hurl pearls before swine. Not a comparison we teenage girls appreciated.
***
The name and word Marguerite come from French and means “pearl” or “daisy.” It traces back to the Latin margarita and the Greek margarít?s, both translating to “pearl.” In French it is also the common name for the ox-eye daisy. As a flower and name, “marguerite” often symbolizes purity, innocence, patience, and beauty.
Marianne Gambaro’s poems and essays have been published in several journals and anthologies. She is the author of the chapbook, Do NOT Stop for Hitchhikers (Finishing Line Press), and an upcoming collection, Stuffed Monkeys (Kelsay Books).