Jane Butkin Roth
The Girl Left Behind
I was made to be a good girl
To be seen, but never heard
To never let a man
See me with no make-up
To dream white picket-fence dreams....
And I held them--
Long after his words, not his fist, took me down
I was made to be a good girl
To make peace at any price
To always set a pretty table
But how does a girl learn to speak when
It's time to be a woman when
She was made to be
Seen, but never heard?
I lost my own voice, only
Heard myself through others
I was even grateful for the role
But it took me down
Not fast, but far and low
Til I came to my crossroads
And was made to sing my own song
Martyrdom will never find a home in me again
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