A World Apart
The poet Blake set down his rage
At sight of song bird in a cage
Imagine if he'd seen your form
Modest movements here the norm
From head to toe enrobed in black
Your shapeless shuffling airless sack
All your world confined to this
Not to know or feel the bliss
Of sun and wind upon your face
To spread your limbs and whirl in space
To love your body and be proud
To sing and dance and shout out loud
Instead for you by male decree
Your eyes behind a grill to see
Lest lustful thoughts should be inflamed
Your wings are clipped you're cribbed and tamed
And like the poet I would rage
And weep for you behind your cage
For still we share a woman's heart
My sister from a world apart
The poet Blake set down his rage
At sight of song bird in a cage
Imagine if he'd seen your form
Modest movements here the norm
From head to toe enrobed in black
Your shapeless shuffling airless sack
All your world confined to this
Not to know or feel the bliss
Of sun and wind upon your face
To spread your limbs and whirl in space
To love your body and be proud
To sing and dance and shout out loud
Instead for you by male decree
Your eyes behind a grill to see
Lest lustful thoughts should be inflamed
Your wings are clipped you're cribbed and tamed
And like the poet I would rage
And weep for you behind your cage
For still we share a woman's heart
My sister from a world apart
9th February 2010, Gulf Air flight Bahrain to London
I share your rage, Sally. Did you know women in countries that espouse the burka are suffering from deficiency diseases because they don't get enough sunlight on their skin?
ReplyDeleteAmazing Sally and something I have been having conversations about recently, now I can quote your poem.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know Jenny but am not surprised. This came from seeing so very many burkha clad women in Bahrain airport. Outside it was a blue sky sunny day, but they would never experience that physical reality and joy in the natural world. We three women were all very similarly affected and felt sadness and rage about it. It is such a politically hot topic and complicated by all those young women who seem to be choosing to go down this route. I feel that it simply cannot be what any god would want for the female of the species, never to be proud of their beauty and happy in their own god-given bodies.
ReplyDeleteFrom Marilyn, cousin, who was with me in Bahrain
ReplyDeleteHave read your lovely poem. So just you. The connection between the 'sack' and the cage, the lack of sun and wind on the faces and the common sisterhood...very good. Thanks for connecting me to the site.
The lady who affected me most was the one who was completely covered with not even a grid for her eyes. I tried it myself with a fine dark scarf. It almost gave me a feeling of panic. As a child I longed for the outdoors, fishing with my friends in the local stream and running through meadows full of wild flowers. Imagine never to know that joy!
ReplyDelete