carried away
by Elouise
Good Girl Rule #8:
Don’t display too much emotion verbally or bodily,
whether positive or negative
(especially pride, joy, excitement, anger or general rowdiness)
“Elouise! Just calm down right now! There’s no need to get carried away!”
Don’t get carried away?
But that’s just what I want!
To be swept off my feet
Up into the air
Taken through spaces
I’ve never once dared.
I’m weary with counting
And weighing each word,
Each emotion each thought
All the silent unheards
This slow sedate pace
This how do you do?
I’m just fine today
And are you fine too?
Just writing this poem
Makes me feel rather dreary
Like screaming out loud
Past the frog in my throat
And my paralyzed tongue
Can you hear me out there?
Are you carried away?
Do you know where you are?
If not, won’t you please
take me right there right now?
* * *
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 1 April 2015
Telling the Truth 
Yes, Elouise. That. Well poeted.
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Thank you. And thanks for connecting with it.
Elouise
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Love this!
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Thanks!
Elouise
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I think often of G. K. Chesterton’s description in Orthodoxy. “Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.” No wonder Jesus loved little children!
But I also think about those who suffer “exaggerated startle responses”, often from abuse themselves. Is there a possibility that aside from enforcing “good girl” rules common to the time, this particular rule served the (unconscious) purpose of damping down startling noises which provoked too much of a chaotic response in the psyche of your father? Just an idea I muse over in response to you wonderful poem.
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Meg, I love the quote! I also like your question about my father. I think he didn’t know how to deal with emotional people of any age, including my age (at any age). He appealed often to keeping things quiet so Mom could rest, though that wasn’t at the heart of the rule. From his perspective, it was unseemly to call attention to ourselves (as females). I haven’t ever considered the ‘startling noises’ of my father’s childhood. His father was particularly unsettling with his gruff ways, unpredictable anger and violence. And there were, after all, 11 children living in close quarters by today’s standards. Thanks so much for this comment. Much to think about.
Elouise
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