May she read only words which feed her gentle, temperate mind
May she dress with serenity, and drape herself artfully over a table by candelight
May she lie in bucolic meadows in the hazy light of late summer
May she write poetry in her softly bound notebook, and be not interrupted by the teenager playing Red Dead Redemption
May she seek always to improve herself, resisting the lure of funny Instagram reels, like the one about Icelandic waterfalls getting a bunch of one-star reviews on Trip Advisor
May she be as a nymph, a daughter of beauty
May she endure the texts from the plumber about changing the time slot, again
And be not disturbed by Google Workspace overrunning its storage capacity
May she smile in acquiescence, lowering her limped eye as her male colleague explains that sexism goes both ways
Let her not be testy at the IT engineer asking if she has tried unplugging it at the wall?
May she rest from worry about that straggly chin hair (but remove it before any man sees)
May she be ever eager to please
May she be tranquil at school letters lambasting her child’s attendance record, whilst advising students to stay home for 48 hours following diarrhoea
Let her not send that Strongly Worded email
May her patience hold as Evri demands feedback on the hoover bag delivery
And as her line manager instructs her to get on board with Co-Pilot
May she resist that spicy romantasy on Audible while emptying the dishwasher
And not appear late, unkempt and flushed at the school gates
May her snowy bosom swell with delight at HMRC texts about Making Tax Digital
And let her not become testy at unexpected items in the bagging area
May she banish idle thoughts of fleeing to a hut in the woods
And refrain from reposting that Virginia Woolf quote, about detesting the masculine point of view [2]
Let her not get ideas into her head
Or spoil her tender nature by becoming difficult, and talking over Senior Management during Teams Meetings
May she wish no harm on tech bro billionaires
Or dream of Dark Mothers rising with righteous vengeance
Let her not curse the men who ravage the earth
May she exile those fancies! the wrecking of coloniser space trips! the rockets splintering to stardust! the visions of dancing among billionaire atoms by moonlight!
Let not her dark whims succeed
Let her rest that sweet maiden head as her candle burns low
Unscathed by underworlds and shadowy desires
A smile at rosebud lips as Dark Mother justice sweeps the land
[1] Serena Reading was inspired by William Hayley’s poem Triumphs of Temper. This is my response to both artwork and poem.
[2] “I detest the masculine point of view. I am bored by his heroism, virtue, and honour. I think the best these men can do is not talk about themselves anymore.” Virginia Woolf