William Bouguereau, "Charity" (1878)
He but throws them from his belly.
In this simplest of couplings
the egg comes to fruition, unwasted.
The uterus is not a cardboard cutout,
an organ meant to remain unfilled,
a chalice dry.
The value of the woman is
her uterine potential. How
can two arms be full with
only one child? At least
two plump babies to grow
in holding each hand.
At least two to fulfill
the empty hours of a
woman's biology, to
maintain her honor in
a world bent toward
the aggression of both sexes:
This is the ideal,
the prize of all time:
radiant mother, beyond
maidenhood but years from
the wise, silent crone.
The swaying of hips,
the arch of bent necks
and upturned pinkies?
The gentle knowledge
of years and the scientifically
applied art of nurturing?
Not to waste, not to waste!
Do not let too many years
pass in between births.
Beauty and wisdom
in the female of the species
are merely tools to be
used in nurturing creation.
Time remains.
Legitimacy lies in numbers.
Lie down and prepare
to push.
-DRG (see her full blog at Insufferable Know It All)
4 comments:
I could not access her "my-space" account. However, I liked the language, and universality of the symbols used. To me, it is fairly ironic and satirical. Yet, just step off a certain time period, and geographical situation, and you can get a whole different prospective on it!
sorry, i did not realize she had her page set to private. you will just have to take my word that she is a talented writer.
you are right. it is meant to be ironic. and you are also right that it is only ironic because we exist historically in a different place. we have, over the process of time, made those values obsolete. of course she is reacting to the fact that despite their obsolescence these values continue to haunt women in everything they do.
LoA.
OH!
So good.
i thought of you immediately. i am glad you liked it.
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