A woman's answer to "The Vampire by Felicia Blake

A Woman's Answer to "The Vampire"

Verses by Felicia Blake. (With Apologies to Kipling)

A fool there was, and she lowered her pride (Even as you and I)

To a bunch of conceit in a masculine hide ---

We saw the faults that could not be denied,

But the fool saw only his manly side (Even as you and I)

Oh the love she laid on her own heart's grave

With the care of her head and hand,

Belongs to the man who did not know

(And now she knows that he never could know)

And did not understand.

A fool there was and her best she gave (Even as you and I.)

Of noble thoughts, of gay and grave

(And all were accepted as due to the knave)

But the fool would never her folly save (Even as you and I.)

Oh the stabs she had, which the Lord forbid

Had ever been really planned.

She took from the man who didn't know why

(And now she knows he never knew why)

And did not understand.

The fool was loved while the game was new (Even as you and I.)

And when it was played, she took her cue

(Plodding along as most of us do)

Trying to keep his faults from view (Even as you and I.)

And it isn't the ache of the heart, or its break

That stings like a white-hot brand ---

It's the learning to know she raised a god

And bent her head to kiss the rod

For one who could not understand.


I think this is my favourite, but there are a few others lurking around the internet including "THE VAMPIRE'S ANSWER" but Felicia Blake's A Woman's Answer has used Kipling's original form so nicely and irreverantly that it really is a treat :)

cheers,
A.J.

A.J. Ponder's books are available through Rona Gallery, Amazon, Paper Plus and good Wellington bookstores.

Census - On the night of Tuesday 5 March 2013

On the night of Tuesday 5 March 2013

were you dutifully filling in your census?

did you?

mark as many spaces as you need

knowing this bold exploration

could lead to strange new worlds locked in dusty old boxes

if you are 15 or older

which questions gave you pause?

the burning need to discover the not so private world of

your current legally registered marital/civil union status?

the reverse solidus almost blushing with awkwardness

or the truly brutal

if you are female, answer this question...

phrasing is everything

this might not be a question you want to read

number born alive?

so do you object? Surely every woman does
even when they see the numbers ticking behind
mark as many spaces as you need
in this five year mission to discover
New Zealand in numbers

I declare the information I have given is true and complete as far as I know

A J Ponder 


Is there such a thing as a "partially found poem"?  If so, then that is what this is.  Looking around for things to write the poem on - and knowing the lateness of the hour - I happened to spy the census forms on the dresser - perfect - because tonight is census night in NZ.  Everyone is being asked to supply personal information that is geared for running a country, and track how New Zealand is changing as a population.  When viewed on this level it is perfectly straightforward and the questions make perfect sense, but on a more emotional level, for many people some of these questions must cut to the quick.

 Cheery, damn - the idea when I started was meant to be cheery.... but there are some fantastic poems up on the Tuesday blog - enjoy, below are some, not all, of my highlights.

 First off I enjoyed Zireaus's choice of poem "At Melville's Tomb" by Hart Crane (even though it made my head hurt).  Ben Hurr's - "The Unheralded" - was lovely, sweet and poignant - whcih was odd given it started witha  blaze of infamy, Tim Jones' Jump in the Fire, such fun, but not nearly half so hilarious as Helen McKinlay's Careless Love, and then there's Hermit in Winter by Eileen D. Moeller - such a  strong finish, I had to stop, think and read it all over again - and finally why not visit the Tuesday Poets with Kathleen and put faces to all the poets you have been following? (except me, I didn't quite make it)  But whatever you do - have a great week :)
Cheers,

A.J.

A.J. Ponder's books are available through Rona Gallery, Amazon, Paper Plus and good Wellington bookstores.

The Whatever's Wife

Somebody's wife
lived within a shadow of meaning

because as everybody knows

a woman's profession

is subsumed by

that of her husband.

His wife smiled as she wrapped on

the apron

the chains to the oven

and kicked off her shoes

So she could best enjoy

the shade

with a book.

No, wife!

Cried the author.

Don't sit down

the book you clasp,

its pages ragged,

it is not meant to be opened on the beach

those umbrella words

are meant to remind you

there's a place

for women such as you

in the shelter of the kitchen

and in the low-beamed workforce

caring,

minding,

working,

and wrapped in

someone else's

identity.

A.J. Ponder

I wrote this back in the beginning of the year - when it seemed every book came out as "The (insert male dominated profession here)'s Wife."  It seemed to be that these apparently worthy books were perhaps inadvertently sending us all a message with their titles, that a woman can only be seen reflected in her man.  Is it any surprise that in such circumstances women are paid less, it is pocket money after all, and any mention of dependants certainly doesn't illicit more money - just the opposite, less money, less prospects, and for solo mothers a battle between putting food on the table and being able to spend any time with their children. 


Young girls are told they can have it all, but they are never told that having it all equates to the work, not the money.  And before you say - that's sexist, guys get a rubbish deal too, I agree, but it's a different rubbish deal, and I would suggest that being the husband of an equitably paid wife, or a boy whose mother can afford to put food on the table is unlikely to make the situation worse.


Personally I'm looking forward to a new run of titles "The stewardess' husband," "The Prime-Minister's Husband" etc. etc.

A.J. Ponder's work is available through Rona Gallery, Amazon, and good Wellington bookstores