Poetry Magazines - The best collection of poetry magazines online - Simon Armitage

What did you ever get
From yoking yourself to him?

Your heart’s tender bud
Never burst into flame.

Yes, you fled from the prison house
Rules of your parents.

Then why walk into a cage
To make your cozy nest?

Yes, you shrugged off the gibes
Of meddling relatives;

Yes, you ignored the taunts
Of nosy neighbors.

You wanted to show them all
What stuff you were made of.

Then why did you shut the books
And put your reason to sleep?

Like your sisters and everyone else
You had your dream.

It was in the air, in the water —
Its sweetness made you dizzy.

What was a girl to do
In that heady, blurry spin?

You were a dutiful daughter,
Obedient sister, for nothing.

You put a shine on your domestic skills
For nothing.

You groomed yourself, practiced
Your walk, for nothing.

Instead of losing your head or wringing
Your hands, you prayed.

Evening after evening you withered
At the window

For a silhouette to appear
Out of the celluloid sunset.

Finally, you agreed to pick one
Out of a string of strangers

They kept putting on display
In the living room.

What did it matter
— It was a throw of dice anyway —

Which face or name in the lineup
You chose to honor as your keeper?

As for the rest — you know the story.
You are one of us now, O sister of mine

Not quite whole, but not broken either;
Not altogether bitter, only stripped

Of illusion. Wide awake and circumspect,
you wonder—

What did you ever get
From yoking yourself to him?

Will your heart’s tender bud
Ever burst into flame?