“the eyes of others our prisons; their thoughts our cages” Virginia Woolf
Dear Edward,
You poured bitter across the page
and I drank the words until they
were the honey I flavored my dreams with.
I have alcohol stains on my spirit
that speak with a bitch’s tongue
not unlike Martha’s when I am
ogled by males who can’t see
the color of my eyes for staring
at the size of my breasts.
War comes on tongues determined
to inflict the harshest wound, to
shred esteem into false opinions.
I am more than curves male hands
wish to bring under submission.
They want me to speak yes, become
a notch on their belt, a forgotten
name to be assigned the tag of whore.
Edward, Martha is an unlikely heroine,
yet it is her voice I applaud. Call me
insane to hold bitter in such esteem,
but I channel her when the mouse
in me would stay silent at abuse.
Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Sincerely,
Martha’s student
©Susie Clevenger 2014
©Susie Clevenger 2014
This is purely fiction although there are a few facts tossed in. I am not really sure why my muse took me in this direction, but I accepted it and wrote the piece.
My youngest daughter, Carrie, played Edward Albee's Martha in "Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?" when she was only twenty. When she auditioned there was doubt at her being able to take on a character so much older and frankly one of the meanest characters ever written. Carrie told me how difficult it was to shake Martha after the play was finished. The Broken Arrow Community Playhouse in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma put on the production and Carrie received rave reviews from The Tulsa World.
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Comments
and I drank the words until they
were the honey I flavored my dreams with.
Great opening, Susie! It comes across as wanting to compromise. But it takes a good writer to bring in varied situations later in the letter. And you did it!
Glad Carrie got pride of place in the play too!
Hank
I saw the movie when I was young but it was over my head then.
The letter put it to "him" good didn't it! I enjoyed reading it even if it was a little hard in places on your male readers. It must be an instinct, the direction of our eyes. But I never think about groping anyone.
I am glad about your daughter playing the part of Virginia so well. Does she still do theatre?
..
and I drank the words until they
were the honey I flavored my dreams with" wowwowwow
and
"Call me
insane to hold bitter in such esteem,
but I channel her when the mouse
in me would stay silent at abuse."
What a ride! You channeled beautifully.
Luv, K