On Bringing Up Girls ~ Rose Cook
Aren’t you going to clip her wings?
they said, That’s usual for a girl her age, isn’t it?
and we said we didn’t want to clip her wings
and they watched our little daughter grow
bright and strong and they said:
Aren’t you going to tie her feet? That’s
advisable for a young girl, isn’t it?
and we said we didn’t want to tie her feet
and they saw a young woman growing
clear and brave and before they could say anything else
we said: Now it is time to teach her to fly
and they fell back.
They are teaching her to fly, they repeated,
teaching her to fly.
How wonderful, murmured their daughters,
and how interesting.
Rose Cook 