The Other Mary The one who wipes Christ's feet with her hair (the body meant nothing to her). The one who covers Christ's chest in cinnamon and potato rinds and apple cores (anything she could get her hands on). She is the one Christ holds on his tongue longer than any of the disciples (though they stomp in the dirt and pull at their ears). This Mary waited outside the cave for Christ to rise, more patient than a father. She made up songs and played marbles with the angels kneeling in the dirt for days. And when Christ finally shook off his bones and sins, he wouldn't even brush the hair from her eyes. Not this Mary, she was 'unclean.' You'll remember she carried seven demons in her womb until Christ put his fingers inside her and scraped her clean. This Mary is the barren one, not the virgin. The one who takes men inside herself, rocking them gently to a dark place only a believer could understand. Not the one you shout for when you wake shivering surrounded by strangers, calling, Mother! Mother! Jamie Wasserman Back to the Astrophysicist's Tango Partner Speaks