I let men believe
The rhythm of the bass
Makes me lose control
Of my feet
My legs
My hips
That I must yield to
The frantic beat
That I don’t mean to
Reveal these petticoats
But of course
It’s all a show
And men are simple
To control
This year marks the tenth anniversary of my first poetry collection, Wednesday Night Regular. To celebrate I’ll be posting my favorite poems from the book on Wednesday nights. Along with the poems, I’ll be featuring illustrations by Tammy Atkinson of Atkinson Creations.
Jane Avril was first published in the Kind of a Hurricane Press anthology In Gilded Frame.
Bartholomew Barker, Poet 
very good
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Thanks for inspiring that one, Mom!
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It’s a great poem and I like the cover of your book. 💚
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Thanks, CB! I’d like to think the cover is eye-catching.
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It is very much so.
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“That I don’t mean to reveal these petticoats”
Teasing – strip-tease – ‘What the Butler saw’ – look, but don’t touch.
You catch it – whatever it is.
At one time this poster was on thousands of walls….
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/333993
Somewhat strangely, considering the fact that I went to a Convent school – our ballet teacher ( who wasn’t a nun!) also taught us the Charleston, the Black Bottom, and….the Can-Can!
Can’t do it now – old bones.
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Bingo! That was the poster that my mother was converting into fabric art with the B-Code and she wanted a little poem to help blind people understand better what we’re seeing.
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I did wonder why you thanked your Mum for inspiring a poem about teasing/voyeurism – it makes sense now – what we’re viewing – seeing.
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Haha. Yes, sad but true. Very easy to control.
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Indeed we are.
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PS
I just looked at the link – is that your Mum in the red cardi?
I’m going to weave that idea into my blog – making images whereby what the fingers feel can be transformed into ‘seeing’ what is there – a very strong, and helpful process.
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That’s my mom! I’m very proud to be her son.
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What your Mum‘s doing, is A VERY GOOD THING. I posted this in m’blog….
http://www.spanglefish.com/berniesblog/blog.asp?blogid=16294
And – one of our neighbours is a Craftsperson – and she’s good at it too. She knits, sews and makes things. I’ve sent the link about the B-code to her as I could see her having a go at making pieces like that.
I’ll say it again – A GOOD THING! Bravo, Mrs B.
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I’m about to have dinner with her. I’ll convey your applause.
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Beautiful poem! I have often told my female patients as they lament about the men in their lives to remember men are simple creatures, easy to train and control.
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Though constant reinforcement is necessary as we quickly revert to a feral state.
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Blimey – I can’t go along with this view – especially from a therapist!
I’m thinking of the characters Holly and Ryder in ‘Mellissa & Joey’….
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melissa_%26_Joey
Who wants that?
I’ll quote Prince again – “Let a woman be a woman and a man be a man.”
Working together to get through this thing called life.
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Witter witter..
A person…gets together with a person…then spends their time trying to turn them into a different person.
Eh?
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That’s why I’m twice divorced and not looking for a third ex-Mrs. Barker.
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Staying feral.
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Pingback: Please Touch the Art | Bartholomew Barker, Poet
Great
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Glad you like it, DD.
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