alt. title: narrative cop-outs I am sick of

[odditycollector]

Something pissed me off today. You get a poem about it.

 
the value of daughters

So you would write a story
for me to care about.
I will tell you how.

Draw a man. Use ink. Use words if you have them. Shape him out of clay.
Give him a name, so I may remember him. Tell me he is strong.
Give him a child. Make it a daughter
so I know he is a good man. A man who would stay for a daughter
who would teach and love a daughter
even without a son to bind him.

And keep the daughter young. Old enough to smile for the man you created
(for you created a good man)
but years from learning of opinions
or that she could have one, if it won't mess your story
the one I care about.
And give the daughter pretty curls
and tell me she has her mother's eyes
like all good girls do.

Now. Sharpen your blade. The one in your mind
where you keep your story.
Watch reflections in its steel until you see
the daughter of the man you created
for me to care about

then swing fast. Draw a knife, a crowbar,
a bullet to send through pretty curls.
A car with broken lines.
Or create wolves to tear her
or hands to squeeze her throat
or send her piece by piece in boxes to her father
blood soaking down your paper.
Rape her if you must.

But do it all
between panel, chapter, line
behind the easel.
Turn off the camera
so I do not hear the screams
so I do not mistake a daughter
for something that might have become a human being.

Does he cry, the man you created? He should, if you did your work carefully.
(if you created a good man)
Catch his tears in resin
or ink or words or clay
and string them up around him, fancy ornaments like something interesting
for me to care about.
When you begin your story, I will see them
and turn the pages.

And do not wonder for the daughters.
They hit the ground no harder than their sisters
trampled into dirt or sold for pieces
or left behind before their mother's milk has dried
or drowned or starved or oil burning down their backs
names listed at no grave site.
Those daughters drawn in blood and bone
not ink not words not in a father's tears
unless that father is a good man.

Comments

[happydork]

*blows a long breath out* Yeah. Just, yeah.

[odditycollector]

Little girls: turns out, they are useful after all.

[petra]

I'm sorry I reopened the wound for you, but I am glad that you were able to produce something that resonates as strongly as this does out of it.

[odditycollector]

Eh, I probably would not have been able to keep not thinking about it forever. Better to put the anger here.

[cereta]

I really, really love you right now. A lot.

[odditycollector]

I am *so* sick of this trope. So much.

[sihaya09]

Totally wonderful and provoking.

[odditycollector]

I'm glad this worked for you.

[sol_se]

That was really powerful. Thank you. (here via cereta)

[odditycollector]

Thanks for reading it.

(here via cereta)
Ah! I was wondering!

[softestbullet]

That is just how it is. :( Thank you.

[odditycollector]

:( Can we have a moratorium on daughter-killing for a while? Do we have that power?

[minoanmiss]

so I do not mistake a daughter
for something that might have become a human being.


Yes, THIS. The whole gorgeously angry poem, but this was where an uncontrollable noise escaped me.

[odditycollector]

Yeah, I think that line is my *whole point* really. Thanks for reading! Though I wish I could have given you a happier moral.

[caiusmajor]

This is an excellent, excellent poem.

*still hiding under bed about whole thing, though*

[odditycollector]

Is that working for you? It was the first thing I tried, but I would've had to avoid the internet completely for it to be effective...

[kilroy]

Holy wow.

[odditycollector]

Yeah, I was... *handgestures*

Thanks for reading it.

[bossymarmalade]

I could barely make it through to the end, I started getting so upset. Thank you for sharing this.

[odditycollector]

I'm sorry that, well, that it was necessary for me to write it. It is made out of upset. But thank you for reading it.

[minim_calibre]

Thank you. And I love you for this. It's a shining point of light inside my rage blackout.

[odditycollector]

I know what you mean. It exists because I needed something focused.

[thelostglove]

Thank you. Seriously. Thank you.

[odditycollector]

I'm glad it worked for you.

[holyschist]

Beautifully, bitterly true.

[odditycollector]

*sighs* yeah. I would rather live in the world where it wasn't, though.

[a_white_rain]

I don't usually like poetry but I liked this.

[odditycollector]

Thanks for giving it a shot, in that case-- I'm not much for deep, symbolic poetry either, but sometimes it can be a useful form for keeping raw ideas.

[gretazreta]

I must admit I hadn't thought about this. Be assured I won't forget it - this is really powerful and will stay with me a long while. (also here via cereta on lj)

[odditycollector]

I think that's about as close to a win I can get, here... Thank you for the compliment.

[d_generate_girl]

Truthfully, I have no context for what prompted this. I think it's comics-related, but I'm not familiar with the fandom. It doesn't matter, because the lesson is one that is needed for everyone. This is one of the most powerful things I've read in a long time. I'm sorry for the pain that prompted it. I'm not sorry I read it.

[odditycollector]

If it's just been the one instance, I don't think it'd have upset me in the same way. But the whole trope needs to go away for a while.

This is one of the most powerful things I've read in a long time.
Thank you, that is an excellent compliment.

[nextian]

I just found out about Lian Harper. And, fuck, yes. As a father's daughter, thank you.

[odditycollector]

I cannot imagine the decision-making that went on, there. Someone needs to be kicked a bunch.

[ranalore]

Here via cereta, and this is a thing of beautiful rage.

[odditycollector]

Thank you.

[bunners]

Oh god. Yeah, crying now. Thank you, that's everything and anything that needed saying here, I think.

[odditycollector]

I'm sorry. I wish we lived in a world where this was met with confusion instead.

[opheliastornoway]

Crappy trope, wonderful poem. Thank you.

[odditycollector]

Crappy trope
Yes, it is.

Thank you for reading this.

[kickthebeat]

As painfully gorgeous as this was, I would give so much for it to be completely unnecessary. Every single time, really, but especially this time.

Thank you for writing it, though. ♥

[odditycollector]

I would give so much for it to be completely unnecessary
You would not be alone. :\

[templemarker]

man, I'm almost in tears at work reading this. What a terrible thing the inspiration is, even if what you've made is beautiful.

[odditycollector]

:\ I would rather have had the excuse to write something happier.

[eisen]

This is beautiful, and so true. I think I only stopped myself from having my whole body curl in remembered rage and sorrow because I know it would have been confusing to my household about why.

[odditycollector]

That's the danger of making something angry; it will try to hurt you. I'm sorry it succeeded, although I suppose that means it works. There is no winning.

[axiom_of_stripe]

thank you for this!

[odditycollector]

And thank *you* for reading it.

[eatsscissors]

This, this, this, this. Wow.

[odditycollector]

Thank you.