We expect her to get married,
Not be left upon the shelf.
We expect her to have babies
For she’s worthless by herself.
But she can only have one lover;
She must grieve him, if he goes.
For she cannot be Kate Winslet
She’s expected to be Rose!
She can be a sweet old lady
She can be an ingénue
She can be a sexy starlet
And a wife and mother too
But if her kids have different fathers
Then she’s really off the rails
She’s no longer pure and feminine:
The great illusion fails
Now she’s married for a third time
And our narrative’s all twisted
Jack Walker would be weeping
If he ever had existed.
Oh we really want Kate Winslet
To be happy, heaven knows!
But we simply can’t forgive her
If she isn’t being Rose.
Tom Juniper Poetry 