Time for Poetics in the Pub ~ Melissa offers this line from Leo Tolstoy's 'The Death Of Ivan Ilych' ~ she requests we write a poem about a time our actions aligned with that idea ~ and a time they did not.
In the 50's our mothers were the compass
carrying duty like a second skin
rarely speaking of desire, ambition
only their overwhelming desire for us
to be happy, healthy and safe
Marriage came like a costume i was fitted into
children, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed
joy i wrapped myself in, the heart of our home
and in those moments
when children's laughter filled the air
i felt my worth like warm sun on skin
How then did we falter
grow stale and heavy
expectations pressed against our chests
divorce a shadow we never imagined
yet after decades, the silence cracked open
We stood shaken, but strangely free
wondering if we had ever truly chosen
or merely followed a script
our mothers had wordlessly handed down
We did the best we could
with the tools we'd been given
our story did not end as promised
it did end in quiet courage
of an enduring kind of love
of beginning again
Compass bound for duty: Are we fulfilling the wants of others or living free of those expectations? Your words pose an existential question about how we judge our worth in society.
ReplyDeleteThought provoking poem addressing a number of womens issues. We have come a long way because of the courageous actions of women who threw off the yoke of imposed servility. They are the heroes.
ReplyDeleteThis is wonderful, Helen. I love it. I can really feel the staleness and heaviness in your words. The ending is especially inspiring.
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