"Women gather their things" (1991)

Women gather their things
to them when wounded you hurt them 
they make motions to leave
but slowly, lighting cigarettes
and fussing with buttons 
giving you plenty of time
to ask them to stay
they bring their things nearer,
rifle through purses, run their
stockings
cry and cruse softly
re arrange themselves, re armor
re prepare, once devastated and
determined
not to let it happen again
taking everything
tidy, spiteful, leaving no trace
taking everything with them 

Comments

[Sraah]

Sad, beautiful. So much both.

[Satia]

I was on yournextread.com today and I decided to plug your book Girlbomb into it to see what would come up. Here's the list:

Gone to the Crazies by Alison Weaver
Smashed by Korin Zalickas
Have You Found Her? by somebody
The Bitch Posse by Martha O'Connor
Damaged by Cathy Glass
More, Now, Again by Elizabeth Wurtzel
Her Last Death by Susanna Sonnenberg
Pretty Little Dirty by Amanda Boyden

Not that any of this has anything to do with what you posted. I haven't touched my poetry notebook in so long I probably wouldn't know where to find it. I could look for it but that would require action and I'm feeling less active of late. (And I don't count the 7.4 miles I just did.)

I will say, I like the "tidy, spiteful" part because there's something that I recognize in that.

Am I the only one who thinks you are incredibly brave? I hope not. You are. Very.

[Stana]

No Satia. You are not the only one.
Janice is, and always has been, very brave.

[Kirsten]

Oh, how I can relate to this. I cleaned all of my things out of C's house and took them home. He didn't notice.

[Kirsten]

That should have read:

Oh, how I can relate to this... Once, I cleaned all of my things out of C's house and took them home. He didn't notice.