Poems: Random Poet Selection
Grace Paley (1922- ) is one of the most accomplished and politically active figures of the past fifty years. Born in the Bronx in 1922, she studied . . . MORE »
That Country
By Grace Paley
This is about the women of that country
Sometimes they spoke in slogans
They said
We patch the roads as we patch our sweetheart’s trousers
The heart will stop but not the transport
They said
We have ensured production even near bomb craters
Children let your voices sing higher than the explosions
of the bombs
They said
We have important tasks to teach the children
that the people are the collective masters
to bear hardship
to instill love in the family
to guide the good health of the children (they must
wear clothing according to climate)
They said
Once men beat their wives
now they may not
Once a poor family sold its daughter to a rich old man
now the young may love one another
They said
Once we planted our rice any old way
now we plant the young shoots in straight rows
so the imperialist pilot can see how steady our
hands are
In the evening we walked along the shores of the Lake
of the Restored Sword
I said is it true? we are sisters?
They said Yes, we are of one family