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BREAD AND ROSES, TOO
The female mystique, from childhood through maturity, is captured in the pages of "Bread and Roses, Too." Among the book's themes are a woman's hopes, fears, frustrations, regrets, vulnerabilities, strengths, and victories. The book also covers a woman's never-ending struggle to accommodate men, friends, and family. The poetry is easy to read. It is written in a variety of styles, from traditional to free verse. Each poem captures one aspect of a woman's life. Female readers will recognize themselves and their friends in many of the poems, while male readers will recognize their female relatives and friends.
CHARITY: I WANT TO DANCE
I want to dance,
To express joy in motion,
To fling my limbs about,
To snap my fingers, kick
Clap, stomp, and shout.
My father and his god
For girls and women decree
Long hair and long skirts,
Prohibit make-up and TV,
Forbid dancing.
I want to dance,
To swing and sway,
To twirl and whirl,
To leap through the air,
To defy gravity.
My father and his god
Forbid dancing.
Dancing, they say, is a sin,
An open invitation
For the devil to move in.
I want to dance,
To express joy in living,
To fling my limbs about,
To swing, to sway
Without fear and trembling.
I do not understand
My father's definition of sin.
Unaquainted with the devil,
I would never invite him in.
I just want to dance.
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