Thirty-eight Juliets

Valerie Hunter, Issue 06

It takes English ı nine weeks 
to get through Romeo and Juliet, 
stumbling through Shakespearean English,
snickering every time someone says “Ho!” 

Kiara only reads when Ms. Castañeda makes her—
Servingman, Citizen, Watchman— 
she’s good at being nameless.  
Mostly she listens, hating how Romeo 
has friends, nice parents, even an ex,  
while all Juliet gets is the nurse,  
an overbearing father, a mother who can’t
be bothered to remember her birthday,
and a house she can only leave to go to church. 

Some days they watch the movie— 
mostly the Zeffirelli version, but occasionally
Baz Luhrmann’s instead. Ms. Castañeda goes
on about how a director can transform a scene,
but all the boys talk about is Juliet, 
how Claire Danes isn’t pretty enough, 
how Olivia Hussey looks like she’s twelve,
but has surprisingly nice boobs. Ms. Castañeda  
tells them to knock it off, so they continue
in whispers, judging, judging, judging. 

Kiara begins to sketch Juliets in her notebook
because it’s something to do, something
better than listening to the boys leer. 
Every Juliet she draws is different from the last.
One has a nose ring and stompy boots, 
another braids and freckles. 
When the boys get particularly gross  
with their movie comments, Kiara’s Juliet
is flat-chested with a shaved head, 
her middle finger raised. Juliet gets 
dreads, purple lipstick, a pointy chin, a dimple,
a nose that’s a little too big, a scar on her forehead 
from where she fell as a kid (that incident
the Nurse won’t shut up about), blue hair,
glasses, sunglasses, a smile glinting with braces,
a henna tattoo, a unibrow, ratty pajama pants, acne, 
an arm full of friendship bracelets, a softball glove,
paint smears on her fingers, a pride lanyard,
socks with llamas on them, checkerboard Vans. 

By the time they finish Romeo and Juliet, 
Kiara has thirty-eight Juliets, a whole collection, 
each one more vital than Shakespeare’s. 
She has Juliets who would run away to Mantua 
without a second thought, ones who would say
“Hell no!” to Friar Lawrence’s plan, ones
who would laugh at Romeo, and others who would
introduce him to her parents with a defiant glare.
Juliets who would sneak away from the Capulet party
to make out with a girl or just to hang out with friends,
laughing at how idiotic all the boys look  
with their masks, Juliets who would pick Mercutio
because he was funnier, or Benvolio 
because he had more sense, Juliets 
who would use Romeo as an excuse to leave
Verona, and then ditch him and stay single. 

In the end, Kiara gets a 79 on the test 
because she remembers her army of Juliets 
better than Shakespeare’s singular girl,  
and she forgets the point of the balcony scene.