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Pituitary Peas
The pituitary
gland is a pea-sized structure…attached to the hypothalamus by a stalklike
structure. It is part of the endocrine system of the body… the pituitary
plays an important role in the regulation of virtually all aspects of growth,
development, metabolism and homeostasis.
Principles of Anatomy and Physiology,
Seventh Edition 1993, Tortora, Grabowski The
Princess and the Pea Like the princess and the pea, twenty
mattresses could not protect me,
from the bruising of a pituitary pea.
The Princess and the Pea,
was one of my favorite fairy tales when I was small. I
used to dream I was the princess and I could see
the mattresses piled high
and lopsided to the ceiling of the pink stuccoed room
I shared with my older
sister.
She in my mind, played the mean lady in waiting,
building up
the layered tower, determined to disprove my royal standing. I dreamed I
struggled to climb to the top of the wobbling, swaying pile.
Bound by tangling
veils, I tried in vain to rest, tossed and turned all night,
greeted morning
with welts, ratted hair, yawns and dark eyes. Sometimes, I dreamed only
of the pea, sure it was poking me from beneath my own single mattress. I would
wake to hang over the edge of the bed,
studying the green painted coiled springs
and wires beneath by the night light,
sure that I would see the bright green
tiny globe wedged there.
I never could find the pea.
I didn't realize
it was inside of me.
- Holly W. Graves, 2002
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Zonta International is a global organization of executives and professionals working together to advance the status of women worldwide through service and advocacy.
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