Petit BourgeoisA Poem by alternative_be(Dedicated to my great grandmother whose marriage was arranged, according to the custom in the late 19th century.)
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Petit Bourgeois (Inspired by Linton Kwesi (Dedicated to my great grandmother whose marriage was arranged, according to the custom in the late 19th century.) Just over a hundred years ago My great grandfather spoke French To a gorgeous intellectual wench For he decided her I will woe Asking her hand in marriage The soon to be grandfather Speaking French too to take things farther After all his daughter would be walking the carriage Or rather an antique pram The father of an heir soon to come Into the world should have to say some For himself now eating spam Does this son come out of a worthy house? Having to save bread out of his mouth Coming up North, what went wrong down South? Is this young man a worthy spouse? For my daughter is my treasure Not to be given away cheap This decision is one to keep Not one out of fluffy pleasure What to think of this military man? His manners, family, money and rank There is a lot for him to thank Yes, I think he can Become the father of my heir His intentions are sincere Otherwise he would not have bothered coming here Giving him my daughter only seems fair
She cries out for passion
The shameless ingratitude
Where the hell did she get this attitude?
Oh, if only I was able to understand this new fashion …
Note: I admit to belonging to a family with a petit bourgeois family tree. During the late 19th century, it was customary to speak French in those circles and so were arranged marriages. Education was very important, also for the women in my family, only their education was never used professionally unless the women remained unmarried. E.g. my father’s most interesting aunt was an eternal spinster who preferred a career to being married, which was pretty daring for a lady born in 1901… Linton Kwesi I admit to liking Linton Kwesi
© 2008 alternative_beAuthor's Note
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10 Reviews Added on September 25, 2008 Last Updated on September 27, 2008 Previous Versions Authoralternative_beSomewhere in the country ..., BelgiumAboutDear all, I'm a 46 year old woman living in Europe. My passions are: reading, writing, poetry, blogging, languages, nature, walking, making friends. Curious? Who am I? You can read it all in th.. more..Writing
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