He for God only, she for God in him – Paradise Lost
He for God made, she for the earth
He grinds her to dust and buys his rebirth,
her skeleton scaffolds his tower of dreams,
her spirit rubbed raw so his conscience will gleam.
He for Man’s comfort and she for Man’s care;
give her a hand for her hands are bare,
washed of her self with the dishes and dirt
and the knowledge of blame staining her shirt
as the cry of her infant stirs up her shame,
she feeds him bitterness along with his Name,
her only Creation, her only Word,
another desire becoming her Lord.
Copyright 2016, Carrie Myers. Originally published in Feminist Spaces. Volume 2, Issue 2, Spring / Summer 2016.