Tuesday, July 15, 2008

The Invisible Woman







Call me the invisible woman
raised by a mother in
the late 50’s or early 60’s
helping out around the house
while she worked – often late
to help put food on the
table
and
clothes (the right ones)
on our backs

Attending high school
in the 70’s
where young women were
encouraged to “HAVE IT ALL!”
career and family
it could be ours
and I bought it
hook
line
and anchor

I attended college -
was going to be
the next Barbara Walters
or better yet
some hot new reporter
cracking the big story
getting kudos from
my peers
maybe a big city
or a big fish
in
a
small pond

Not that I regret it -
not one sweet
moment of
my decision
to marry and
have a family
Never has there
been one regret -
my children are my
life and it has
been a good one-
a very
good
one

But late at
night when the
dog is snoring
louder than the
husband
and my eyes open
involuntarily -
I watch the invisible woman
listen to the wolves named
Incompetence and
Fear


5 comments:

Dominic said...

Dang it, Roberta! You are great with words! Your writing just sparkles!

... now, if you could only apply that to Scrabble. ;)

Roberta said...

Thank you Dom. I think the painting inspired me.

Now if we could just get little pictures on the Scrabble board I'd be winning!!

Anonymous said...

Never give up, Bert. You've got it in you to do something great if you set your mind on it.

Hope you don't mind this is still in my blog rotation.

Roberta said...

Hi Jen! I don't mind at all. It's nice to hear from you.

Karen said...

Back to Virginia Wolfe again! You really evoke the frustration of that hook, line, and anchor...
There's a Dylan Thomas line that goes, "and I sang in my chains like the sea." That's what you're doing here.