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Literature Text
Mother surely knew that
wolves would lurk along
that path.
She had to have known.
For the world is
filled with wolves,
and they especially
tend to cluster
in forests
where little girls
walk alone:
easy prey.
Yet she dressed me
in the color
of raw meat,
filled my basket
with warm-scented goodies
and sent me
specifically
into the woods
to grandmother's house
unconsciously baiting,
conveniently on
red-alert:
all the better to find you with,
my dear.
Still, for years,
I believed
it was wolves
of whom I should
be wary.
I know things now.
wolves would lurk along
that path.
She had to have known.
For the world is
filled with wolves,
and they especially
tend to cluster
in forests
where little girls
walk alone:
easy prey.
Yet she dressed me
in the color
of raw meat,
filled my basket
with warm-scented goodies
and sent me
specifically
into the woods
to grandmother's house
unconsciously baiting,
conveniently on
red-alert:
all the better to find you with,
my dear.
Still, for years,
I believed
it was wolves
of whom I should
be wary.
I know things now.
Little Red Riding Hood reflects on her unfortunate experience with wolves.
And please, please don't tell me that I'm the only one who picks up on all of the dirty little metaphors in "children's" fairytales.
ADDENDUM: In retrospect, I disagree with this entirely, and I'm kind of disgusted with myself for posting it. You can't blame the parents when their daughter gets raped because they let her wear a miniskirt, just as you can't blame the girl herself. There is an onus upon each one of us to respect the bodily domain of others, and if we don't, we've no one to blame but ourselves. There is no such thing as inviting rape, which is by definition nonconsensual. I'm hoping there's another way to interpret this poem that's a little bit less, well, awful. Any thoughts?
It's not just the wolves of whom we need to be wary, it's also the society that blames the mothers and daughters for what the wolves do to them.
And please, please don't tell me that I'm the only one who picks up on all of the dirty little metaphors in "children's" fairytales.
ADDENDUM: In retrospect, I disagree with this entirely, and I'm kind of disgusted with myself for posting it. You can't blame the parents when their daughter gets raped because they let her wear a miniskirt, just as you can't blame the girl herself. There is an onus upon each one of us to respect the bodily domain of others, and if we don't, we've no one to blame but ourselves. There is no such thing as inviting rape, which is by definition nonconsensual. I'm hoping there's another way to interpret this poem that's a little bit less, well, awful. Any thoughts?
It's not just the wolves of whom we need to be wary, it's also the society that blames the mothers and daughters for what the wolves do to them.
© 2006 - 2024 exhalesigh
Comments4
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Ahh, nicely done.