[the Writing of Kuypers]
The smaller the foot
It was normal
Of crippling herself
But the mother knew better
The girl would never find
At least
handcuffs
The tears falling
into a pattern
[JanetKuypers.com][Bio][Poems][Prose]
Oriental
Years ago Chinese women
bound their feet with cloths
forcing them to retain
the foot of a child
the higher the class
the more helpless the woman
the more she needed a husband
to care for her
for the daughter to cry
and cry
at the thought
of hurting her feet so
of being unable to walk
a suitable husband
if her feet
were like those
of a servant
a working servant
are like swatches of cheesecloth
slowly wrapping
layer upon layer
upon layer
land in her lap
as the daughter sobs
and rocks back and forth
Copyright Janet Kuypers.
All rights reserved. No material
may be reprinted without express permission.
