Emerg Infect DisEIDEmerging Infectious Diseases1080-60401080-6059Centers for Disease Control and Prevention260033308-056810.3201/eid1407.080568Another DimensionHusband WatsonConnie Smith7200814711821182She always brushed her hair backSternly, twisting one small knot about the crown.He did not like the plain, broad brow.“I hate that tightness,” he would mutter to himself.But sometimes he would stoop to kiss her foreheadAnd at midnight, hesitatingly, her lips,Surprised each time the way her arms would reach for him.When little Thomas had diphtheria at two,Her back was hourly bent above the crib,And one day as he stood beside herHe too bent, drawn helplessly, andKissed the tender whiteness of her neck,The unruly tendrils capturing his lips.With frost-cracked palm he strokedHer disciplined small head,And never thought to mutter any more.

Mrs. Watson has been writing poetry and prose for more than 70 years. Her poetry has won numerous awards, including the Editor’s Choice Award from the Georgia State Poetry Society, and has been featured in publications including Home Life, Leatherneck, and Writer’s Digest. She resides in Fitzgerald, Georgia.