GILDED CAGE

By Frances Green

You said I’d get nothing

After twenty years, nothing!

Enabling you to dress in suits,

command respect,

be seen, be heard

While I stayed behind,

washed your clothes,

bought your food,

scrubbed your house, was berated

Weighed down by

your mouldy seed,

a growing weed,

in my depleted soil once rich

now crumbled dry

The keys you took of my gilded cage

You took my tresses long and thick,

shiny blondness

now grey and fallen; I lop them off

You took my body

once strong and thin

now aching weary,

fat stretched skin

You took my mind once sharp,

now fractured, scattered mess

The gilded cage you locked me in I’m stuck,

softly spoken within

Shattered windows,

grime and dust,

here I toil a used-up mess

Your cage so shiny I flew in,

not golden but poison lead

Within I’m dying,

only free when dead

another bird you’ll lure in

Her wings clipped,

you’ll resume your life

A life of freedom

thanks to your new wife

She’ll wonder why I died so young,

then like me,

depleted, used, slack skin

But she’ll survive just long enough

to feed your mouth,

to wipe your arse, to be your nurse

When you’re old and useless

you’ll be her baby

Your dribbling mouth,

your pissed in pants,

your warbling words

fed, wiped, washed, heard

within the cage you made for me

So, my daughter I’m glad you’re gay

No man will shackle you in cage

The world is yours

to make your stage

#DarkPoetsClub