After Sappho

by Selby Wynn Schwartz

From the moment she had walked out of the Sala on Lina’s arm, the air around her had been stirred by a sound of leaves massing like tiny wings on every branch, turning to feel on all surfaces what had set them trembling. Lina was that sound in the air, Sibilla wrote, or perhaps Lina was the light soundlessly touching all of the leaves at once.

except that he is like a sudden springtime, her lap is full of violets.

if you wanted someone, you wrote verses that poured violets into her lap.

Once you had set out for the future, there must only be the hard edge of the horizon before you.

In the end Vita wrote for Virginia the story of seeing the world change colour forever, which is one way to say that you are in love.